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THE idea of facing cross-examination in a courtroom means that many veterinary surgeons are put off expert witness work before they have even started, but these impressions are largely unfounded. There is a great opportunity to have a stimulating and highly rewarding career.
Expert witnesses, simply defined, have specialist knowledge over and above a lay person and help the court understand issues outside of its expertise and come to the right decision. While instructed by one party to assist the court in understanding a technical issue, they are wholly independent of the matter in question before the court. They have an absolute duty to write an honest and unbiased report, and their duty is to the court, not to the person instructing them. However, this does not stop parties from seeking out an expert who supports their views.
Vets as expert witnesses
A veterinary surgeon may be asked to give an opinion on the treatment given to an animal by another vet and whether that treatment fell below the reasonable standard that should have been expected. Vets may also be asked to give an opinion as to cause of death or of an injury that a creature has suffered.
Ken Smith heads the pathology group at the Royal Veterinary College and has acted as an expert witness for many years. He says: 'There are two main reasons why I may...