EXPERT WITNESS SERVICE
Experts in all that we do
Our Accommodation Experts are highly sought-after expert witnesses in personal injury and clinical negligence cases due to their experience in designing and adapting homes for people who have suffered life changing injuries and reputation for their unrivalled insight, professionalism and independent analysis.
By combining their primary responsibilities as Accredited Expert Witnesses with practical hands-on involvement in the procurement, design and adaptation of homes for people with a wide range of disabilities arising from personal injury or clinical negligence, our experts are able to provide the Court with accurate and comprehensive evidence.
Our experts have been instructed in some of the most ground-breaking cases in the UK. Our instructions are received from both claimant and defendant litigators, often on the recommendations of solicitors and barristers. Joint Reports are also produced for the Court on behalf of both parties.
Our Expert Witnesses can advise on:
- The suitability of a Claimant’s current home and whether it can be appropriately adapted
- The cost of acquiring a suitable alternative property
- The design of an appropriate adaptation scheme, or new-build project
- The cost of carrying out necessary Building/modification/adaptation works
- The increase in domestic running costs as a consequence of both the disability and the changed home environment
- The effect of such works on the saleability and market value of the property
All of our expert witnesses are Chartered professionals and have obtained the Certificate of Expert Witness Accreditation from Cardiff University of Law School/Bond Solon. Our Accommodation Experts have prepared CPR Part 35 compliant reports in cases involving:
- Road traffic accidents
- Accidents at work
- Clinical Negligence
- Military injuries
- Illness Claims: Asbestos related lung cancer and other diseases
- Accidents abroad
- Court of Protection Work
- Criminal Injuries Compensation Claims
- Professional Negligence
Feasibility Assessments
An important part of the property acquisition process, a Feasibility Assessment Report provides a clear overview of the property/properties being considered for purchase and all the likely costs involved.
Originally produced to be of maximum assistance to the Court, in on-going litigation, many Courts of Protection Deputies and private clients now ask for this type of report. A typical report will provide you (and the Court) with all the information needed to make a fully informed buying decision, including:
- A summary of conclusions
- Description of the property/properties
- Valuation (by an RICS Registered Valuer)
- An estimate of the costs involved in any remedial works and/or adaptations/extensions
- An estimate of any added value to the property as a result of the proposed works
- Details of likely associated costs (i.e. survey fees, legal fees, removal expenses, etc.)
- An example report is available upon request
Types of report:
Level 1
Desktop feasibility/suitability assessment report
Level 2
Truncated feasibility/suitability assessment report
Level 3
Comprehensive CPR compliant feasibility/suitability assessment report
A reputation for excellence
Our work is considered by our clients and the Court to be of exceptionally high quality, with a responsive and efficient provision and reputation for excellence – in both our reports and Professionalism in Court.
We pride ourselves on being cost-effective, and work on matters across the whole of the UK and occasionally abroad.
Our expert witness' opinions will always remain impartial, unbiased and objective in order to be of maximum independent assistance to the Court. When producing expert witness reports to assist the Court in matters of our expertise, that duty overrides any obligation to those instructing us or their clients.
We always comply with the requirements set out in Part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules and the accompanying Practice Direction, the Protocol for the Instruction of Experts to give evidence in civil claims, and the Practice Direction for Pre-action conduct. All reports are prepared in accordance with the Code of Practice for Experts. Reports prepared for the Court comply with the requirements of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, as expressed in its guide to best practice entitled ‘Surveyors acting as expert witnesses’.