Following two successful pilots, The Expert Witness Institute (EWI) is rolling out its new Certified Expert Witness Membership, a ‘gold-standard’ register of experts whose knowledge, skills and practice have been thoroughly validated by the Institute.
For the legal profession, it’s assurance that by instructing an EWI Certified Expert, they’re enlisting a professional who understands their role — and can ultimately deliver.
To get EWI Certification, applicants must already be highly experienced Experts, with the assessment process building on the vetting procedures in place for EWI membership. They will be assessed on all the core competencies required to be an Expert Witness, recognising those who can demonstrate excellence in report writing, discussions between Experts, and giving oral evidence in court.
Crucially, applications for Certification (and revalidation of Certification) are assessed on the Expert’s ability to demonstrate actual practice in real scenarios.
EWI Certified Experts also commit to undertaking Continuing Professional Development and will be required to go through the Certification assessment every five years to revalidate their practice and retain their Certified status.
Experts who have achieved Certification will be identified as such and appear at the top of search results on the Institute’s Find an Expert Directory.
EWI Certification has been SCQF (Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework) credit rated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and has been awarded 15 SCQF Credit Points at SCQF Level 11.
The move has been warmly received by the judiciary in both the English and Welsh and Scottish jurisdictions.
Lord Hodge, Deputy President of the Supreme Court, said:
“I welcome the EWI’s initiative in creating a certification programme for expert witnesses. The complexity of much of modern litigation means that expert witnesses often play an essential role in the administration of justice. Unfortunately, judges have had to criticise experts for failing to understand and comply with their duties. Such failures can result in injustice and such criticism can cause serious damage to a person’s professional reputation. I hope that the initiative will assist experts, the parties who instruct them to give evidence, and the judiciary in their collaboration to ensure high standards in the administration of justice.”
The Right Hon Lord Carloway, Lord President of the Court of Session, said:
“It is crucial that expert witnesses are properly trained and qualified so that they are able to comply with their duties to the courts and tribunals before which they appear. I welcome the work of the EWI in promoting the introduction of an SQA accredited programme in support of that objective.”
Sir Martin Spencer, chair of EWI, said:
“We are delighted to add this new level of membership to our Find an Expert Directory which provides the legal profession with a pool of talent with the relevant education, training, understanding and experience to provide expert guidance to the courts.”
The scheme was made available to members via a soft launch in July. Since then, 40 members have upgraded to become a Certified Expert Witness.
The scheme is open to experts from all disciplines who can demonstrate an excellent level of practice against the core competencies and costs £325 for EWI members and £425 for non-members to apply.
Further information can be found at: www.ewi.org.uk/certification