Expert Witness News

Government plans to plough ahead with reforms to personal injury claims have been branded ‘baseless’ and ‘frustrating’ by the new president of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.

Greater Manchester solicitor Neil Sugarman said: “The government’s apparent determination to make life harder for people with personal injury claims is both disappointing and deeply frustrating.”

He was reacting to remarks from justice minister Lord Faulks at the association’s annual conference in Birmingham.

He continued: “The government continues to give the impression that injuries which don’t attract a great deal of compensation, such as whiplash injuries, are somehow ‘trivial’ or ‘unnecessary’ and that people suffering with those injuries should not be allowed damages for their pain and suffering at all. But anyone who has had such an injury knows just how painful and debilitating it can be.

London, May 3, 2016 – International financial advisory firm Accuracy is pleased to announce the appointment of Stuart Appelbe as Partner in the Project Advisory and Disputes (PAD) team in the London office of the firm. Stuart joins from PwC where he worked as UK Head of Construction Disputes.

As a leading project advisor in the construction sector, Stuart specialises primarily on transport infrastructure, including road, rail, ports and airports, building, power as well as oil and gas downstream facilities. He advises industrial groups, law firms, owners, investors, debt providers, insurers and other third parties on transactions, disputes and any kind of decision making related to capital projects. At Accuracy, he will lead an international team on expert witness testifying appointments and advisory engagements on time, cost and management issues related to projects.

Derek Williamson, of Goddards Accountants, discusses how forensic accounting can be used to find ‘hidden’ assets when dealing with cases of divorce.

In divorce proceedings it is often the case that one party claims that the other has hidden assets and has failed to declare them on the Form E financial statement. It is in such cases that the expertise of the forensic accountant comes into play.

Forensic accounting is the specialist practice area used to investigate details of financial issues, which can then be used in negotiations or in court. In family cases that regularly involves valuing business assets and calculating capital gains liabilities or how much income a business generates so that the figures can be used in financial settlements.

In addition, forensic accounting is used to find ‘hidden’ assets.

Last year saw legacy giving in the UK at an all-time high, as measured by the umbrella organisation Remember A Charity. The organisation says it continued to make significant progress towards its goal of making charitable will writing the social norm.

“While it has been a challenging year for fundraising, by working together the consortium has had its most successful year to date,” it said.
The proportion of people who say they have included charitable legacies in their wills is now at 17% – the highest level since Remember A Charity began monitoring in 2002. The campaign also saw record support from Government this year, including the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, Scottish Government and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The percentage of solicitors and will writers who ‘always or sometimes’ prompt their clients has also increased, from 53% to 66% in the past five years – again, the highest level since its market research commenced in 2002.