Course Schedule:
Please call 8622 8900 or
email us for further information
Overview:
In conjunction with the Monash University Law Faculty, Monash Professional has identified a demand for training professionals who may be called upon as expert witnesses in court proceedings.
Expert witnesses are recognised specialists in their profession, and are typically active members of their relevant professional association. They are called upon by legal teams and also the various Courts of law throughout Australia and overseas to assist judges and juries in determining facts based on evidence where the subject matter is of a specific nature requiring expert knowledge and familiarity.
Subject areas commonly requiring the assistance of expert witnesses include:
- Accident and Injury
- Agriculture
- Livestock
- Forestry Appraisal and Valuation
- Auto
- Aviation
- Boat & Rail
- Business and Financial
- Insurance Computers
- Technology and Media
- Construction and Architecture
- Engineering and Science
- Chemical and Environmental
- Food, Hotel, and Tourism
- Medical and Surgical
- Hospitals
- Psychiatry and Psychology
- Laboratories and Testing
- Planning and Environment
- Property and Real Estate
- Surveying
Whilst expert witnesses are expected to be knowledgeable in their own field of endeavour, the skills involved in both the preparation and presentation of evidence and familiarity with court procedure are commonly lacking.
We offer two days of intensive training; this course covers the first day (Unit One), and deals with the various concepts of evidence and court procedure. The additional day, Course 1068: Expert Witness Preparation - Unit 2, provides practical experience. Please refer to Course 1068: Expert Witness Preparation - Unit 2 for further information.
Learning Method:
Instructor led class room setting, with extensive discussion and sharing of ideas with the participants.
Who will benefit from this course?
This course is designed for qualified professionals from any field, including accounting, engineering, medicine, and construction who may be interested in expanding their practice to include serving as an expert witness in litigious matters.
Pre-requisites:
To attend this course you should be a qualified practitioner in you profession.
What can you expect to gain from this course?
Upon completion of the course, you can expect to have gained:
- an understanding of the civil and criminal litigation process and the role of the expert witness
- the basics of the rules of evidence and the effect of these rules on the expert witness’ research and reporting
- knowledge on productive conferencing with lawyers
- improved report writing techniques
- knowledge on structuring CV’s to support qualifications as a field expert
- techniques to connect with the judge and jury
- understanding the obligations of a witness
- an understanding of how to improve witness communication skills including confidence in the witness box
- knowledge on recent changes in the use of expert evidence
Course Content:
Module 1:The Adversary system
Module 2:The nature of expert evidence
Module 3:The role of the expert witness
Module 4:Choosing an expert witness
Module 5:Expert witness reporting
Module 6:Professional guidelines, Court procedural compliance
Module 7:Conferencing between advocates and experts
Module 8:Communication skills needed by experts
Module 9:Rules of evidence
Module 10:Instructing/resourcing an expert witness
Module 11:Evaluating expert opinion
Module 12:Preparation prior to giving evidence