2 Sep '19
Following two successful pilots, The Expert Witness Institute (EWI) is rolling out its certification scheme for expert witnesses designed to provide the legal profession with a ‘gold-standard’ register of experts.
In conjunction with the Judicial Institute at University College London (UCL), the EWI has created an intensive assessment process to assess experts’ competency as witnesses.
EWI says the move has been warmly received by the judiciary and that it expects its register of certified experts to become the authoritative source recognised by the judiciary and instructing lawyers.
The certification scheme is open to all expert witnesses who are registered with a relevant professional body and have completed report writing and courtroom skills training in the last three years with a recognised training body.
As part of the rigorous assessment process, candidates will be required to provide information (and for non-members, references) about their current expert witness work, successfully complete an EWI online test, complete a report based on an example case, and attend a half-day assessment in London designed to assess their core skills.
Sir Martin Spencer, chair of EWI, says: “We are delighted to be able to work with the Judicial Institute at UCL in rolling out this scheme. Our aim is to create a gold-standard register of certified experts so that the legal profession can assess a pool of talent with the relevant education, training, understanding and experience to provide expert guidance to the courts.”
The scheme is open to experts from all disciplines and costs £1,200 for EWI members and £1,450 for non-members, who will automatically receive one year’s membership of the EWI upon completion of this scheme.
Further information can be found on the EWI website.