Next steps for expert excellence in Scotland

In brief

• The University of Aberdeen Bond Solon Expert Witness Certificate has launched.
• It is the first university certified training programme for expert witnesses in the Scottish courts.

Scotland, with its own legal system, needs effective expert evidence as much as the rest of Great Britain. We have just launched the first university certified training programme for expert witnesses giving evidence in the Scottish courts. Until now there has been no systematic training for experts in Scotland and experts were travelling to England and then attempting to translate that training for the Scottish system.

Scottish experts

Experts involved in proceedings in Scotland need to understand the basics of law and legal procedure to work effectively and confidently and comply with various mandatory requirements. They need to understand the practical implications of The Law Society of Scotland Expert Witness Code of Practice (see: bit.ly/2TZjsPT).

The Code is substantially