A new expert witness service from arts therapy specialists Chroma has been hailed a success by personal injury lawyers and case managers.
Chroma, the UK’s leading provider of arts therapies, launched the first creative arts therapies (CATs) expert witness service in the UK in February, and many PI lawyers are already looking forward to sending instructions to use the service.
The service aims to help secure the best rehabilitation package for clients. It enables legal teams to access independent expert witness testimony to help put forward a compelling case for the benefits of CATs within rehabilitation programmes and make clear how such therapies will improve victims’ quality of life.
CATs encompass music, art and dramatherapy. Either one – or more – can be used within a rehabilitation programme, depending on goals, to gain the best outcome for a client. When implemented alongside physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, they positively affect rehabilitation outcomes, supporting improvements in clients’ functional and cognitive abilities as well as their psychological wellbeing.
Consequently, the use of CATs has become commonplace in rehabilitation programmes, bringing about the need for expert witness evidence in cases where they may form a significant head of cost.
The keynote speaker on the evening was Dr Corene P Hurt-Thaut PhD MT-BC. Dr Hurt-Thaut is program director at the Academy for Neurologic Music Therapy and also assistant professor at the Faculty of Music and program head, Applied Music and Health at the University of Toronto.
Corene’s presentation on neurologic music therapy was well-received by those attending and brought home the importance of such therapy for their clients.
The evening also saw Richard Williams-Lees LLB (Hons) PgDip (Law), chief executive of McCollum Consultants and co-founder/director of ALLDOQ, introduce the platform which Chroma will adopt.
ALLDOQ is a specialist medico-legal workspace that allows users to securely store, organise and complete medico-legal work in the cloud, avoiding the hassle of disorganised files and duplication with a single, easy-to-use workspace built for medico-legal expert witnesses.Solicitors attending the launch included representatives from Irwin Mitchell, Higgs LLP, CL Medilaw and Slater & Gordon.
Chroma MD Daniel Thomas commented: “Our expert witness launch was a great success, with attendees wanting to know more about how to improve the quality of life for their clients. Having Corene speak was invaluable and helped illustrate just how effective neurologic music therapy can be in rehabilitation. Several firms commented on looking forward to sending us instructions.
“Attendees also expressed their appreciation that ALLDOQ would be the platform of choice for Chroma, as it keeps client data safe and provides a time and cost-effective expert witness service.”
For further information visit www.wearechroma.com