Family Law Training Day, London, November 2008

Last month saw the Expert Witness day on Family Law in Sheffield. November was London’s turn. Thanks to the expertise of Kirti Patel and Sarah Palmer the day was sufficiently varied to provide for both the newcomer to this area of law and those who have already chalked up many court appearances.

Kirti and Sarah from the Children’s Legal Practice Ltd in Fareham deal solely with issues relating to children and either family law or education law. The day was a mix of taught input, with regard to key issues of law and the procedures, interspersed with discussion. We were very lucky that in discussion Kirti and Sarah shared many insights which helped to make the theory come alive. Feedback has been very positive and out thanks to Kirti and Sarah for providing such an informative day.

All who attended also had the benefit of a hefty set of materials to take away and refer to as and when needed. Like all meetings the day also provided an opportunity for new contacts. It was good to see members with a wealth of experience ready to share this with those who were wondering whether or not to venture into this aspect of expert witness work. There are plenty of pitfalls to avoid and the course alerted participants to the need to be well versed in procedures and the legal issues if preparing to offer their services.

Some members suggested that a useful follow-on would be a day sharing information about different tests and protocols that are used in the psychological assessments undertaken with children and families. There will be more opportunity to discuss this on the website when planning next year’s meetings.