From the author Michael Young: This is the second edition of How To Be an Effective Expert Witness, except that this new edition has a different title: The Effective and Efficient Clinical Negligence Expert Witness.Looking back at the first edition, I think it was no more than a short introduction to the work of the clinical negligence expert witness. When it was suggested that I write a second edition, my first thought was, 'What more is there to say?' As it turned out, there was plenty. Therefore, I have expanded much of the material, because once I began to think about it, the more I realised there was actually a great deal more that needed to be said.Unlike in the first edition, I have included some real reports written by real experts. I have done this for two reasons: first, to let anyone who is new to expert witness work see for him- or herself what an expert report looks like, second, because the reports are there to critique as part of helping experts (new and old) improve their own report writing skills.I have also included many of my own experiences from my days as an expert, which I hope adds a realistic feel to the narrative. My anecdotes, which are written in a more conversational style, are displayed in boxes, as are a couple of other things that I thought would look better if they too were set apart from the surrounding writing.The biggest difference is that the second edition includes audio material in which practising experts talk openly about their experiences, giving the reader a greater insight into this challenging role.I have updated some material in light of recent developments surrounding the role of the expert witness in civil litigation. These new developments will, I think, see the rise of the 'super expert', the expert who is able to deliver what the legal profession wants, in exactly the way legal professionals want it, when they want it and, most important, within budget.Most of my expert work was for the claimant, and for this reason most of the material in this book is written from the expert-working-for-the-claimant's perspective. Working for the defendant is no different: claimants just happen to be proactive, whereas defendants tend to be reactive.
