Counsel Magazine

Expert witnesses fear for their personal security in family law cases that are reported by the press. The media were given limited powers to report family law cases including adoption, care proceedings and divorce, in April. During a quest ion and answer session with senior family judge, Lord Justice Wall, at the Bond Solon expert witness conference in November, several experts expressed concern that, if their personal details were made public, aggrieved family members would cause problems f or t hem. Some e xpe r t sthought it would be difficult to anonymise reports suffi ciently. Wall LJ sympathised with their concerns. In his speech, he recommended that a detailed protocol be adopted to ensure fair reporting, following discussions between lawyers, experts and the press. “Th e disadvantage is that we are in the hands of the media, which is interested in personalities, not issues,” he said.