Expert Witness Training Programme
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Expert witness training for fitness to practise inquiries
Intensive session for experts providing reports and evidence for fitness to practise inquiries
Online / In Person
1 day
About this course
Giving an expert opinion in a fitness to practise inquiry calls for more than knowledge of your profession. You must understand your independent role, prepare a clear report and explain your conclusions when questioned.
This one-day La Touche Training course is designed for experienced professionals who provide, or may be asked to provide, expert evidence in fitness to practise. It covers the regulatory process, your duties as an expert, report preparation and giving evidence.
Course syllabus
What you will learn
- Definition of an expert witness.
- Duties of an expert witness.
- Background to being an expert witness in professional regulation:
- The goals of statutory regulation of professionals.
- Understanding what is meant by ‘acting in the public interest.’
- Processes for complaints against members of regulated professions, and related fitness to practise/disciplinary inquiries.
- Fair procedures and due process requirements.
- The role of preliminary proceedings (where applicable).
- Grounds for complaints and disciplining of professionals.
- Your briefing letter – what it should contain.
- Bias and conflicts of interest.
- Preparing to write an expert report.
- Your report content and structure.
- Stages of giving evidence.
- Preparation for giving evidence.
- Tips for presenting evidence, answering questions and handling cross-examination.
Who should attend
This course is for experienced professionals who act, or may be asked to act, as independent expert witnesses in fitness to practise or professional disciplinary inquiries. It is particularly relevant to professionals who need to review a complaint, prepare an expert report and explain their opinion at an inquiry. Professional regulators can also arrange the training for the experts they instruct.
Which expert witness course is right for you
This one-day course focuses on giving expert evidence in fitness to practise and professional disciplinary inquiries. It examines the regulatory process and the particular issues experts face when preparing reports and giving evidence in those inquiries.
La Touche Training’s three-day Expert Witness Training Programme covers report writing, courtroom skills and cross-examination in a broader range of legal proceedings. Choose the course that best matches the type of work you expect to undertake: compare our courses here
Meet the trainer – Anthony Kennelly
Solicitor, BA, LLM
Anthony is a qualified solicitor and has been a part-time Programme Developer and Trainer with La Touche Training since September 2023. Anthony previously worked at leading commercial law firms and as...
Read BioPractical training with small groups to ensure quality.
Our training sessions are not lectures—they're practical, interactive experiences. The small group format allows every attendee to ask questions, take part in discussions involving practical exercises and role-plays.
This method of training allows attendees to put the skills learned into practice immediately. Course participants benefit from the focused attention and guidance of an independent expert.
Register to attend:
# SELECTED
| Course Dates | Location | Price | Spaces Left | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/11/26 i 11/11/2026 09:30 - 16:30 | Zoom Online | €465.00 | 9 |
Enquire today to develop essential expert witness skills for professional inquiries
FAQs
In an Irish fitness to practise inquiry, an expert witness generally provides opinion evidence to help the inquiry determine whether allegations against a professional, if found to be true, would amount to professional misconduct or poor professional performance. Unlike in other processes, such as court cases, they do not express an opinion on factual matters. As in every other process, however, their role is to give objective evidence within their area of expertise rather than advocate for either party. The course therefore examines the duties of an expert witness in the unique context of Irish professional regulation.
The course is designed for professionals who wish to provide expert reports and evidence in fitness to practise inquiries in the Republic of Ireland. While it is not strictly necessary to have prior training as an expert witness, the course is particularly suitable for those who do.
Participants learn about the knowledge and understanding they need to provide an expert report for a fitness to practise inquiry, and how to approach its content and structure. The course also considers the expert’s briefing letter and duties, helping participants understand the wider responsibilities involved in preparing expert evidence. Finally, participants will also gain an understanding of conflict of interest procedures, and how to navigate them in the context of Ireland’s small population.
No, not in detail. This is a one-day course focusing on those aspects of the expert witness role which are unique to Irish fitness to practise inquiries. Training on evidence presentation and handling cross-examination is, however, provided in our general Expert Witness Training programme
An expert witness must understand their role as an independent expert and the responsibilities that accompany giving specialist opinion evidence. In an Irish context, they must also be aware of the relevant standard of proof (beyond reasonable doubt), and the specific definitions of professional misconduct and poor professional performance contained in each regulator’s relevant legislation. As outlined above, the training also addresses expert witness duties in relation to bias and conflicts of interest.
The course provides background to expert witness work in professional regulation, including the goals of statutory regulation, complaints processes, fitness to practise and disciplinary inquiries, preliminary proceedings where applicable, and grounds for complaints and disciplinary action.
