One element of their advocacy skills barristers develop on their feet rather than in the classroom is how to deal with expert witnesses, both your own, and the other side’s. I have occupied the witness box 56 times, and authored over a thousand expert reports and, in my time, I have experienced the complete spectrum in court – not just the good, the bad and the indifferent but, at the extremes, the supremely skillful and the absolutely awful.
What follows is not a prescriptive list of do’s and don’ts, more a few suggestions that will hopefully be of some real practical value to barristers, particularly youngsters. In arguing your case, it can certainly pay to think ahead about your plan to work as effectively as possible with your expert, and deal properly with the other side’s.

Consider ...