I recently met with Lisa Boyd, Partner at Eversheds Sutherland NI. Lisa specialises in construction and procurement. During our conservation I asked Lisa what qualifications are needed to be an Expert Witness. She provided me the link to the practice direction on expert evidence in the High Court. She referred to how Paragraphs 11 and 12 reference some external materials of interest. Paragraph 30.a references having the ‘appropriate expertise and experience’. Lisa also highlighted how Paragraph 7 states, ‘Ordinarily, the Court will expect an Expert Witness to have obtained a form of accreditation as an Expert Witness.’ Lisa’s opinion is that, in addition to such accreditation, it would be of benefit to any potential construction expert to hold a qualification, such as chartered, or ideally Fellow chartered membership of a professional body, so that their appointment and expertise cannot be challenged by opposing counsel, and equally to give them a foundation for the role.
This is interesting and noteworthy for anyone contemplating applying for membership of a professional body, such as the CIOB, RICS, or ICE, or anyone planning to upgrade to Fellow chartered membership.
Photo by EJ Yao on Unsplash.
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