FAQs

An expert witness is a qualified professional with specialist knowledge across a range of areas. This can be anything from medicine to science to engineering. Our experts work exclusively within health, psychology, social care and allied health. They are instructed by the court to provide independent, impartial opinions to assist the court on certain case matters.

An expert’s duty is to the court, they can only report objectively on specific issues within their area of specialism. When you instruct an expert it may well be that their opinion benefits your case, but their opinion but their opinion may differ from what you expect. Their role is to assist the court and must remain unbiased. 

Our experts can provide evidence for all types of criminal and civil cases.

Our main office is in Cambridge but we can offer nationwide assessments. Our experts will assess at their clinics, solicitors’ offices, or occasionally at client’s homes.

Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Medical, Surgical, Social Care and Allied Health. We have experts with specialism in neurology, neuropsychiatry and neuropsychology as well. Please contact us if the expert you are looking for is not listed, we would be pleased to discuss your requirements with you.

Yes, our experts assess children and adults.

Yes, many of them will travel where needed. We have experts based in all major cities within England and parts of Wales.

Yes, remote assessments can be offered depending on need and preference.

Yes. However, many experts prefer to have a professional interpreter present to preserve impartiality.

Yes, all our experts are happy to work with interpreters, but they must be arranged by the legal representatives.

There is often considerable overlap between the work that psychiatrists and psychologists do.

A Psychiatrist is a medically trained doctor, registered with the General Medical Council, who has studied medicine and gone on to specialise in Psychiatry. They are able to assess, diagnose and prescribe medication for mental health disorders. Psychiatrists are often involved in the management of more complex mental health diagnoses and co-morbid conditions.

A Psychologist is not usually a medical doctor, but they do go through years of training and supervision to become qualified to assess and treat people with mental health or behavioural conditions. Psychology is the study of people; how they think, how they act, react and interact. It's concerned with all aspects of behaviour and the thoughts, feelings and motivation underlying such behaviour. A psychological assessment often involves completion of psychometric testing, which then informs an opinion on a range of issues, such as; mental health, cognitive functioning, risk and educational need. Psychologists also deliver psychological therapy.

This is dependent on the type of expert you are seeing and for what reason. We will always let your legal representative know the anticipated length of the appointment ahead of time. Clients can request breaks during assessments whenever they feel they are needed, and the experts will offer breaks if they feel it would be beneficial as well.

Yes, we have very experienced social workers who undertake age assessments for age disputed clients. They follow the Merton guidance, which combined with their experience offers a robust and legally sound assessment.

No, our services are provided to solicitors and other representatives free of charge.

We only accept instructions where a legal professional is involved. We are happy to speak with private clients about potential cases, if a legal professional has been instructed.