Instructing Advocates and Expert Witnesses

Talented advocates and expert witnesses are often required in a variety of legal cases, and JMW’s team of experienced solicitors has the expertise required to instruct each of them. We understand the importance of confidence in your representation, and we will often organise a pre-instruction meeting with the team to ensure that clients know what to expect.

Contact us for help and advice regarding the instruction of advocates and expert witnesses by calling 0345 872 6666 or by filling in our online enquiry form and we will get back to you.

About Instructing Advocates and Expert Witnesses

An expert is deemed to be anyone with knowledge or experience of a particular field or discipline beyond that which is expected of a layman. An expert witness is an individual who makes this knowledge and experience available to the court, helping those involved to understand the issue of a case and, therefore, reach a sound decision.

Expert evidence is characterised by the fact that it is opinion evidence. A regular witness is only permitted to give one form of evidence, which is usually fact. For instance, they may not say that a vehicle was driven recklessly in a road traffic accident, but are able to say that it ended up overturned. The judge or jury is to decide the cause of the accident based on the evidence placed before it.

In order to be its most useful, expert evidence must also provide as much detail as necessary to convince the judge that the expert’s opinions are well founded. For this reason, it will often include:

• Factual evidence that has been obtained by the witness that requires specific expertise in the way it has been interpreted and presented
• Factual evidence that may not require expertise for its comprehension, but is inextricably linked to evidence that does
• Explanations of technical terms or topics
• Evidence of a specialist nature

Many of our cases involve the instruction of barristers, including Queen’s Counsel, as well as experts from wide-ranging and diverse fields. These include:

Why Choose JMW?

The private client criminal law service from JMW is a bespoke offering specially designed for discerning professionals and corporate clients requiring the very best in criminal defence. This approach ensures you will receive advice and representation of the highest standard.