OF THE LAW SOCIETY OF SCOTLAND - The Journal Online

JournalNews Inside8 9 108 Specialist Accreditations8 Will Aid9 FSA Warning9 Golf Winners10 Obituaries10 SSDT11 Personal Injury Actions12 Classic Letters of Obligation12 Devolution SeminarsFinding an expert witnessErgonomics…economics…accountancy…acoustics.What do these typesof work all have incommon? They’rejust some of the1,000 specialismscovered by expertwitnesses foundin the latest edition of The LawSociety of Scotland Directory of ExpertWitnesses. To be published by W Green thisautumn with the full endorsement of The LawSociety of Scotland, the 2003 Directory is theone place to look for that perfect expert witness.Yet these are not the only subjects covered bythe 2003 Directory. Its 700 pages contain detailsof over 400 experts in 40 main specialisms andprofessions.These, in turn, are broken down intoover 1,000 areas of expertise, which the expertsthemselves have indicated are their areas ofpractice.With such a wide range of subjects covered,users of the Directory are bound to find anumber of experts to contact, and several theycan finally employ. This may include experts inmore unusual occupations, and a quick flickthrough the pages will uncover experts trained inshellfish farming and helicopter services, amongstothers.Since the Directory is mainly aimed at the legalmarket, which relies heavily on expert witnesses,the coverage is particularly strong in expertsfrom the medical professions, forensic andcriminal areas, banking and finance, and academia.Over 75% of the experts contained within itspages fall within these specialisms, making it a vitalresearch tool for civil litigation and criminallawyers in Scotland looking for an expert to writea report or appear in court.W Green’s Directories Unit decided to pushahead with the project after having conductedextensive research to determine the need forsuch a directory amongst Scottish solicitors.W Green was delighted at the level of responseto their initial survey, as well as the response fromthe legal community to the published first edition.There has also been an increased awareness ofthe Directory’s warm reception amongst expertwitnesses who advertise their services tosolicitors. So it’s not surprising that the numberof Scottish experts who have applied to appearin this year’s Directory has increased by 10% onlast year’s launch edition.Business Manager Tracey McCarthy states, “Asthe Directory goes into its 2nd edition, it goesfrom strength to strength.The Directory will beavailable in print and online formats (websiteaddress: www.wgreen.co.uk). There will bemore Scottish experts and more specialisms init than last year. Experts will be listing theircredentials along with a wealth of furtherinformation about their background andservices. Experts will also be thoroughly vettedbefore appearing in the Directory, on behalf ofThe Law Society of Scotland. All these elementscombine to make a Directory that meets theneeds of Scottish solicitors for current,comprehensive, and reliable information onexpert witnesses in Scotland.”For further information, readers cancontact The Law Society of ScotlandDirectory of Expert Witnesses, DirectoriesUnit, 100 Avenue Road, London NW3 3PF,Telephone: 020 7393 7797or Email: experts@wgreen.co.uk.Pursuers’ Panel LaunchedThe Law Society of Scotland has established a Pursuers’ Panel to assistmembers of the profession and public in handling professionalnegligence insurance claims against solicitors.Four solicitors have been appointed to the panel – Terry Brennan,of Russells, Gibson, McCaffrey, Glasgow;Tim Edward, Maclay Murray &Spens, Edinburgh; Iain Nicol, Keegan Walker & Co, Livingston, andAlastair Thornton, of A & WM Urquhart, Edinburgh. The panelmembers were appointed in June 2002 and each will serve on thepanel for three years.The panel was established through the Society’s Insurance Committeeand was launched on September 30th.Alastair Thornton explained:“We are confident that the panel will helpboth solicitors and clients to pursue claims as quickly and efficiently aspossible.“The panel members are all highly skilled in handling negligence claimsand have considerable experience of this type of work.“A number of claims involve a degree of complexity, and the panel willbe able to provide guidance with the more technical aspects of makinga claim.”7 October 2002 Volume 47 No 10