Description of feature:
The regularly published ‘ink on paper’ newsletter is an important part of the support offered by an organisation. It offers a regular point of contact between the expert and the organisation. Take the time to review a couple of past issues of any newsletters from the organisations you are considering. Look to see if they provide the sort of content that is likely to be valuable to you in your work as an expert witness.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Any newsletter is only valuable to you if it is regular, well written and carries worthwhile content. Many organisations struggle to maintain an interesting and newsworthy contents list and to justify the costs of regular production and distribution. So, if you see an irregular publication history, or newsletters that are just electronic, question why. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses newsletter, Your Witness, is currently 8 pages and has been published quarterly since 1995.

Description of feature:
An organisation that operates a helpline not only wants to helping you resolve your specific problems, it also wants to understand better the needs of its members. Just as with the newsletter, the quality of the content and the reliability of the advice given are what really matters.

Hints on assessing this feature:
The responsiveness of any helpline and its breadth of coverage are important features to consider. However, as the answers provided are often given one-to-one, it can be difficult to judge the quality of a given service. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses helplines include both informal telephone and e-mail handling of day-to-day expert witness matters, and access to professional advice on legal, tax, VAT and employment matters.

Description of feature:
Expert witnesses are not, despite many assertions to the contrary, a coherent group. This makes them an easy target for government, regulators and the like. If the interests of expert witnesses are to be protected against these pressures, it is vital that the views of the expert witness community are represented at the table.

Hints on assessing this feature:
The value, and authority, of any claim to represent the views of expert witnesses must be underpinned by two elements: the size of the organisation’s constituency and the inclusiveness (and transparency) of the process by which the organisation garners the views of expert witnesses. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses gets involved in all the major expert witness consultations. Being larger than the Academy of Experts, the Expert Witness Institute and the Society of Expert Witness combined, we carry a clear mandate. Our use of survey work to guide the creation of our submissions also demonstrates our commitment to openness in the process.

Description of feature:
Smart use of the opportunities presented by the Internet, to provide breaking news and topical material as it happens, can be a great adjunct to the more considered content in a printed newsletter.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Electronic newswires should not trip over themselves by abusing your in-box! Check the frequency of any recent issues and ask yourself whether their content warranted the frequency. In addition, check to see if it’s easy to ask the e-wire to be stopped. The e-wire from the UK Register of Expert Witnesses is fired every 4–6 weeks, unless something particularly newsworthy needs reporting immediately. You can opt not to receive our e-wire service at any time.

Description of feature:
Any organisation dealing with expert witnesses will find that some questions come up time and again. Factsheets offer a useful way of putting the answers to these FAQs into a form that is easily accessible to expert witnesses.

Hints on assessing this feature:
The range of topics, and depth of treatment, are the import elements here. The range of topics will tell you lots about the understanding the organisation has about the issues that concern expert witnesses. The depth of treatment will tell you how well the organisation understands the issues and, so, how likely it is to be able to help you with such problems. You might also wish to check how often the Factsheets are updated. You should be able to access Factsheets as and when needed, ideally via an on-line service. All Factsheets (currently 52) from the UK Register of Expert Witnesses are freely accessible on-line to listed experts through the publisher's website. Factsheets are regularly updated, and cover topics from expert fees and payment to cancellation fees, training providers and suing your lawyer!

Description of feature:
Being a disparate group, coherent and reliable statistics on expert witness work and practice are hard to come by. However, access to a set of statistics, particularly if they provide trends through time, can be very helpful when writing your business plan or setting your fee rates.

Hints on assessing this feature:
As the saying goes, "there are lies, damn lies and statistics!" Consider both the nature of the statistics, the manner in which they have been collected and the use to which they are put. For example, Bond Solon statistics were used by the Legal Services Commission to ‘justify’ plans for swingeing cuts in the rates paid to experts in publicly funded cases. The value of the UK Register of Expert Witnesses was plain to see in our ability to counteract these statistics with clear evidence of modest increases in the fees charged by expert witnesses over the past 10 years. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses conducts biannual surveys of expert witness practices and fees. Indeed, we’ve done so now for the past 10 years. Survey results are transparently and unambiguously presented. We send the survey results to listed experts at no charge. Check if this is the case with others.

Description of feature:
Some people find that gaining an understanding of the role and responsibility of the expert witness can be helped by some formal training. There are training companies, such as Bond Solon and Professional Solution, who do little else. There are also training sessions offered by the various expert witness bodies.

Hints on assessing this feature:
The basic skills and knowledge specific to giving evidence are really not that onerous. Speaking with professional colleagues and reading (for example as the factsheets published by the UK Register of Expert Witnesses) can deal with the basics quite well. But, if you feel that formal training course will help be sure to speak to people who have already attended courses with your chosen provider. Consider whether you require a course that includes some form of objective testing, or if a workshop would be better than a seminar.

Description of feature:
Conferences can work well on two levels. They can provide easy access to information through the conference programme and they can offer excellent ‘networking’ opportunities.

Hints on assessing this feature:
The cost of attendance, which is often discounted to members of the hosting organisation, the programme itself and the size of the audience attracted are all important measures of a conference’s value. At present, the UK Register of Expert Witnesses does not see the need for yet another expert witness conference each year. Rather, we focus on maintaining our factsheets and publishing our e-wire and newsletters, which you can read in the comfort of your office or home.

Description of feature:
The role of regulators can be important, but in the expert witness arena there is no official regulator.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Whether or not you like the regulatory aspirations of an organisation will probably come down to your view on the need for regulation. Any organisation that seeks to regulate expert witnesses is very likely to force its members to sign up to a code of practice and allied disciplinary code. So take the time to read these codes to see if you believe your interests are served by volunteering to be governed in this way. Also, check to see if you are responsible for the costs of any disciplinary hearing. At the UK Register of Expert Witnesses we are not seeking to regulate experts, simply to educate experts as to best practice and procedure, and to help lawyers and experts foster more productive relationships.

Description of feature:
The cost of putting ink on paper is very high! As for the cost of posting the end result… don’t ask! However, lawyers are a traditional lot and they like books. So, the printed form is an absolutely vital element of any organisation’s promotional service.

Hints on assessing this feature:
With property, the mantra is "location, location, location". With print directories, it is "indexing, layout, useability". If the directory is poorly indexed, or the structure is overly complex, the lawyer will give up and employ the directory as a much more useful doorstop instead! The UK Register of Expert Witnesses’ clear indexing and layout have withstood the test of time – some 18 years, now. And it’s condensed softback format makes it lighter to hold and easier to handle than its other more generously spaced competitors.

Description of feature:
Having printed a directory, the size and nature of its distribution are also important factors to consider. And in directory distribution, size isn’t everything! The distribution has to be large enough to hit the key litigation lawyers, and sufficiently focused to avoid the non-litigators, e.g. most conveyancers and probate lawyers. The only way to ensure good coverage is by a free distribution method using a carefully crafted mailing list.

Hints on assessing this feature:
So consider the following. How well targeted is the distribution? Are the books ‘scattered’ about or are they focused on just those lawyers who are most likely to use the resource? How many are mailed annually, and is there a rolling programme of distribution? Only with this information can you put the size and quality of the distribution method in context. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses has a free distribution policy that directly targets the top 10,000 litigation lawyers in the UK over a three-year cycle.

Description of feature:
Computer-based search software is a useful adjunct to a printed directory. The printed form forces the publisher to opt for one way of organising the information. Any accompanying software ought to offer much greater flexibility in the way the lawyer can query the underlying data.

Hints on assessing this feature:
The software needs to be simple to use and easy to install. Check out the flexibility of the search options and the general speed of operation. It is also useful to assess how ‘intrusive’ the software is when installed. Horror stories of one such piece of software that crashed people’s copies of Windows could have done little for the reputation of the organisation concerned.

Description of feature:
The final aspect of a promotional body’s search service should be an on-line search system. It should be free and simple to use by the public, yet also allow expert witnesses to limit exposure of their details on this very public platform to a level with which they feel comfortable.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Any search system should be simple to use and flexible in its search methods. The site’s indexing should ensure that all experts matching a specific search term are listed. Unfortunately, poor indexing by some sites results in inconsistent lists of experts being generated. Data should be regularly updated, and ideally any amendments, in particular to expert contact details, should be free and immediately viewable on-line. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses prides itself on the quality of its indexing and consistency of its searches. You can update your entry details at any time throught the year at no additional charge. To maintain quality and security, we amend all details in-house, and any changes are uploaded overnight.

Description of feature:
Published lists of expert witnesses, and on-line search systems, are important. But what happens if a lawyer, looking to instruct an expert, can’t find what he or she needs in the published resources? A helpline for lawyers can fill that gap.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Whether a lawyer will use such a service will often come down to cost. Check out the cost of the various lawyer helplines to help you make your judgement on the worth of each service. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses lawyers’ helpline is free to subscribing law firms (annual subscription of £75+VAT) and £25+VAT per enquiry for all other lawyers.

Description of feature:
Lawyers go through the same sequence when looking for an expert witness as you do when looking for a good plumber. Do I know a good plumber? Does my mate know a good plumber? Can I get a plumber from the Chartered Institute of Plumbers? If all those fail, you may end up looking in a directory. The same goes, in general, for lawyers. When the lawyer does turn to a directory, human instinct dictates that he or she is far more likely to trust a vetted resource than one that will let anyone be listed on payment of a fee.

Hints on assessing this feature:
It is for the court to determine who shall be admitted to give expert testimony. There are no prerequisites. This means that what actually constitutes vetting of experts as expert witnesses is left to the individual to assess. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses has, since its inception in 1988, adopted an objective system of vetting in which lawyers who have already used an expert witness are invited to recommend that expert to other lawyers. It is a clear and simple process, and we know lawyers value it. We also publish additional vetting statistics for each expert, including: total number of recommendations on file, first and last vetted dates, and detailed vetting recommendations concerned with working as an SJE, in court, under cross-examination and in criminal cases, as well as the quality of the report.

Description of feature:
The details an expert can include in a directory will often be restricted in size and format, or exhorbitantly priced. The ability for an expert to include his or her full CV alongside the brief directory entry can be a valuable service to lawyers trying to decide between similarly skilled expert witnesses.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Be careful to determine whether your CV can be included at no additional charge, and, if you are not au fait with computers, whether it is possible to lodge a paper version of your CV. At the UK Register of Expert Witnesses you can lodge a CV with us (either paper copy or file) at no additional charge, or supply us with a website address for your on-line CV. Furthermore, you can update your CV at any time for no additional charge.

Description of feature:
Falling between the brief directory entry and the full CV, profile sheets are a useful extra service that help lawyers choose between experts.

Hints on assessing this feature:
You should expect the profile sheet to follow a fairly rigid format to help lawyers with any comparisons they need to make between experts. Be sure to find out if the profile sheets are available on-line and if there is any additional charge for lodging one. At the UK Register of Expert Witnesses you can submit a one-page profile sheet (either electronically or on paper) at no additional charge and it is accessible on-line to subscribing lawyers.

Description of feature:
The use of a ‘membership’ logo can be helpful in your marketing material.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Check if the logo is available both electronically and as hard copy, perhaps as stickers. Also check whether there is any charge for use of the logo, and whether the logo has to be changed – and paid for – each year. The registered logo from the UK Register of Expert Witnesses is free to use and does not change each year (although there is a freely downloadable dated logo available subject to vetting). It can also be purchased as rolls of stickers (at £22+VAT) or on floppy disk (at £14.10+VAT).

Description of feature:
Some organisations permit the use of letters after the name to indicate ‘membership’.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Whilst some find this a useful marketing tool, others feel that letters that can simply be bought with the annual membership fee are of little worth. Deciding on which side of this debate you fall will determine how you rate this feature. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses believes the danger of misleading the unwary through apparent qualifications is too great. We do not allow or endorse the use of postnominal designations in relation to Register membership. (So you know which side of the debate we came down on!)

Description of feature:
Whilst not to everyone’s taste, the ability to include a head-and-shoulders photograph with an entry in a directory can help lawyers to recognise experts at a first meeting, or to get a feel for first impressions of a jury.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Ask where the photograph will be used: on-line only, or in the software as well. Will it be included in the printed directory and, if so, how well is it going to reproduce in black and white? Be clear about whether there is an additional charge for inclusion of a photo. The UK Register of Expert Witnesses can include a head-and-shoulders photograph on the expert details page on the Web Register and on the software version of the Register. Our concern over the quality of reproduction on paper has prevented us from including photographs in the printed directory.

Description of feature:
The inclusion of a web address giving a direct link to the expert’s own website.

Hints on assessing this feature:
You would be forgiven for thinking that this is basic information that ought to be included as part of any standard fee - so do we! However, Sweet & Maxwell charges an additional £165 for this essential link.

Description of feature:
Information on the languages in which an expert has technical fluency.

Hints on assessing this feature:
Whilst we are concerned primarily with the UK, and technical fluency in English will be assumed, the ability to deal with other languages can be a decisive factor in whether an instruction is secured. While Sweet & Maxwell charges an additional £20 per language, at the UK Register of Expert Witnesses, this information is included at no additional charge.