Expert Witness
The use and appointment of an expert witness has become widespread. Members of the legal profession frequently seek architects with in-depth knowledge of the technical and contractual aspects of architecture practice. Their expertise is used to support the prosecution and defense of claims in legal disputes relating to the built environment.
Firstly, what is an ‘Expert Witness’?
A dispute starts:
- Claim is made by Person 1
- Claim is rejected by Person 2
- That rejection is in turn rejected by Person 1
In order to settle the dispute, unbiased Expert Witnesses are appointed to investigate, prepare reports and then possibly to present those reports in court in order to provide evidence to support their findings.
Who can be an Expert Witness?
Basically it’s anyone with a specialist knowledge that can investigate and present their findings in an unbiased manner. This work is ideal for the architectural and engineering professions as it is them (more than any other design professional) that is trained to see the overall picture on any construction project.
If you think about the level of expertise and training that an architect would have from design, planning, Building Regulations, Construction, detailing, contract administration, inspections, certificates…the list is endless and it is time that architects started to undertake this work again.
Therefore, if you have any need for an Expert Witness, please contact us. We offer a broad range of services related to the construction and property industries. Should you need an Expert Witnesses in Structural Engineering / structural failures, planning or surveying please contact us here at Declan Noonan & Associates.