Expert Witness Training

TBC

AUD $1,090 ACLM members (inc. GST)
AUD $1,290 Non-members (inc. GST)

TBC

Provided as a guide only.

You must have completed the pre-requisite Expert Report Writing course prior to attending this course. ACLM members are given priority to book until the course is sold out. 

Future sessions: Please sign up to our E-Newsletter to ensure you hear about future dates. 

The aim of this course is for health care practitioners to develop the skills required to provide evidence to the Court as an expert witness.

Overview

Legal Medicine encompasses the interchange between medicine and law and nowhere is this more apparent than when clinicians are invited to provide expert witness testimony. This is provided as either the treating clinician or to provide an independent assessment of a circumstance within the domain of the clinician’s expertise. Being an expert witness requires providing a report and/or attending a court or tribunal and is often stressful for the clinician concerned. The Australasian College of Legal Medicine (ACLM) runs an Expert Report Writing Course and Expert Witness Training Program to familiarise medical professionals as to what is required within such real-world situations.

Lectures:

The Expert Witness Training Program includes didactic lectures to offer advice as to what is expected of the expert by the barrister and the adjudicator (such as the judge). It instructs the clinician how to behave within set situations. There is also provision of didactic / interactive advice from an experienced expert witness.

Pre-course Submitted Report:

Each participant is expected to submit a de-identified court-ready report at few weeks prior to the course. These reports are critically marked to provide advice as to how they can be improved and they serve as a basis to be led and cross-examined in a moot (a mock trial) involving real lawyers in a courtroom environment.

Moot Court:

The Moot Court is based on the case reports/material submitted by each candidate which the ‘expert’ marks and provides to each of the barristers and the judge before the day. The barristers alternate between leading and cross examining. Before each candidate enters the witness stand they are asked to give an overview of the material facts of the case in which they are appearing as a witness, in order for the audience to understand the nature of the case. After each moot, the performance of the candidate is openly discussed with all participants invited to comment and a summary given before the start of the next case. The marked reports are returned to the candidates upon completion of the course.

Learning outcomes

Participants will:

1. Describe the roles and responsibilities of the various members of the legal profession involved in the court process.
2. Write an expert medicolegal report that satisfies the requirements of the Court.
3. Differentiate between ‘hearsay’, fact and opinion as forms of evidence.
4. Plan and prepare to provide oral evidence in the courtroom.
5. Integrate the theory provided in the prereading and interactive lectures with the practical delivery of expert evidence via role play (Courtroom Moot).
6. Show the ability to describe a technical medical issue to lay people, avoiding the use of medical jargon.

Pre-requisite

The ACLM Expert Report Writing course is a pre-requisite to attend the Expert Witness Training Program. You will be required to provide evidence that you have already attended (or are booked to attend) the ACLM Expert Report Writing course to be accepted into this Expert Witness Training Program.

The following CPD information applies to a 1 day session. It will be adjusted as necessary for a 1.5 day session.

ACLM CPD Program recognition:

18 hours, Relevant to Legal or Forensic Medicine

CPD home submissions:

The following allocations are suggested by ACLM and will be shown on the attendance certificate. It is up to the attendee to check that the activity meets their own CPD home's requirements and to allocate the activity type according to their CPD home's guidelines.

• Educational Activity: 5.5 hours
• Reviewing Performance: 10.5 hours
• Measuring Outcomes: 2 hours
• Total: 20 hours

Program Level Requirements met:

•  Maintaining and developing professionalism

ACLM does not upload activities to CPD homes on behalf of participants. You must self-submit to your CPD home to claim points.

Osler CPD Home: This activity is an Osler Approved Activity for the Osler CPD Home.

A refund less $150 administration fee will be provided for all cancellations received at least 30 days prior to the start date. Any cancellations after this point will be non-refundable. Please do not attend if you are sick with a contagious illness. If you cannot attend due to illness we will issue a credit note to attend the next available course.

Contingency Planning: If a situation occurs which significantly affects the majority of participants’ ability to attend in person, the course may either be postponed to a later date or held entirely online. Any such decision will be communicated to all as soon as possible if this circumstance arises. By registering, you agree to attend the course virtually on the same dates, should this circumstance arise.