 "No
one will deny that the law in some way effectively
uses expert knowledge wherever it will aid
in settling disputes. The only question is
as to how to do it best.", Judge Learned
Hand, Harvard Law Review 1900.
One hundred years on, the Expert Witness Institute
of Australia (EWIA) has been established as
a national body in recognition of the need
for an organisation to raise the quality of
expert evidence by supporting those persons
qualified to give expert evidence in the civil
and criminal justice systems. The Institute
will also help ensure that those persons intending
to become expert witnesses understand their
obligations and have the necessary ability
through education, training and support.
The primary objective of the EWIA is the support
of the proper administration of justice and
early resolution of disputes through the use
of fair and unbiased expert evidence. The
Institute is an impartial body working to
enhance the status and standing of experts
as well as the improvement of the quality,
objectivity, impartiality and independence
of expert evidence. Another objective of forming
the Institute is in response to the courts
taking greater control of the processes of
litigation. These include case management
and similar strategies, designed to contain
costs and promote the just, timely and cost-effective
disposal of proceedings.
The formation of the Institute is also an
acknowledgment that the courts are more and
more dependent upon expert testimony in arriving
at a decision that is both factually and scientifically
based.
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