BACK TO BASICS –WHEN AND HOW TO USE YOUR EXPERT

By CHRIS MAKIN chartered

accountant, accredited civil mediator and accredited expert determiner

WHAT FOLLOWS should be familiar to all solicitors engaged in contentious work, but it does no harm to remind ourselves of the basics. How can I, a humble chartered accountant, feel able to propound on such matters?

Because I have practised for over 30 years as an expert witness; also for many years as a mediator and expert determiner. I have written many hundreds of expert and valuation reports, given expert evidence over 100 times, and conducted more than 120 mediations and 45 expert determinations.

I served for 14 years on the ICAEW forensic committee and then for six years on the ethics committee. I am a fellow at the Academy of Experts, one of only about 60 worldwide, where I am chief examiner in expert determinations and assessor for membership from accountants and similar. In a word, I’ve been round the houses a few times.

But more particularly, in going round the houses I have seen too many of my professional colleagues get it wrong at court. That is why, when on the forensic committee, I helped devise a scheme of accreditation for expert accountants. The list can be viewed on their website at www.icaew.com/learning-and-development, and it