Expert Witness
ESI is an environmental consultancy with a highly technical team of senior consultants with experience of delivering expert witness support in groundwater, groundwater flooding, land contamination, ground source energy and relevant sub-specialisms. The expert witness team is supported by qualified consultants and technical staff well practiced in supplying supporting documentation.
A large amount of environmental legislation and regulation (both UK and EU) has been enacted over the last 20 years. This now has a significant bearing on many aspects of national life: planning, development, industry and leisure etc. Over the same period, the amount of time spent debating technical environmental issues in court and at public inquiries has grown steadily. The reasons for this include gaps and inconsistencies in the legislation and regulations, and also difficulties in applying the general principles set out in the legislation to the complex reality of particular sites. Overwhelmingly, however, these cases relate to the enormous growth in the ‘environmental industry’ and the large costs and opportunities that now hinge on the translation of complex, technical information into the language of the relevant legislation.
The courts and planning inspectors are reliant on the services of expert witnesses, whilst parties to the action may need to rely on the services of expert advisors to help to develop their case. The quality and effectiveness of the expert services available are often crucial to the outcome of the case.
ESI’s expert witness structure provides services to suit a wide range of projects from small, site-specific court cases to some of the largest and most complex planning applications, waste management and contaminated land issues in the country. By listening carefully to our clients and understanding the critical aspects of each case from a legal perspective, we are able to offer effective solutions to these difficult problems. Well-written evidence that clearly distinguishes fact from opinion is recognised as a key requirement with all senior staff having appropriate training in the role of the expert witness.