The House of Lords served as the highest court in the UK for over 130 years. In 2009 the new UK Supreme Court took over its judicial functions, closing the doors on one of the most influential legal institutions in the world, and a major chapter in the history of the UK legal system. This volume gathers over 40 leading scholars and practitioners from the UK and beyond to provide a comprehensive history of the House of Lords as a judicial institution, charting its role, working practices, reputation and impact on the law and UK legal system. The book examines the origins of the House's judicial work; the different phases in the court's history; the international reputation and influence of the House in the legal profession; the domestic perception of the House outside the law; and the impact of the House on the UK legal tradition and substantive law. The book offers an invaluable overview of the Judicial House of Lords and a major historical record for the UK legal system now that it has passed into the next chapter in its history.

The House of Lords has served as the highest court in the UK for over 130 years. In 2009 a new UK Supreme Court will take over its judicial functions, closing the doors on one of the most influential legal institutions in the world, and a major chapter in the history of the UK legal system. This volume gathers over 40 leading scholars and practitioners from the UK and beyond to provide a comprehensive history of the House of Lords as a judicial institution, charting its role, working practices, reputation and impact on the law and UK legal system. The book examines the origins of the House's judicial work; the different phases in the court's history; the international reputation and influence of the House in the legal profession; the domestic perception of the House outside the law; and the impact of the House on the UK legal tradition and substantive law. The book offers an invaluable overview of the Judicial House of Lords and a major historical record for the UK legal system as it opens the next chapter in its history.

Expert evidence in the civil justice system remains a controversial area, and one which continues to develop in the context of the changes in civil litigation brought about by the Woolf reforms. In June 2005 the Civil Justice Council's Protocol for the Instruction of Experts was launched to provide guidance to legal professionals and those acting as experts. The recent disciplinary case taken against Sir Roy Meadow by the General Medical Council relating to his expert evidence in a criminal trial - while not directly a civil matter - served to highlight a number of the key problems faced by experts in giving opinion evidence to courts. This new title is a comprehensive guide and reference book for all who are concerned with the quality of expert evidence in the courts. The text focuses on civil practice and looks in detail at the impact of the Civil Procedure Rules on expert evidence. It concentrates on the practical aspects of having experts give evidence, and looks at areas which have caused particular confusion, or on which case law is gradually emerging. Coverage will include the accreditation of experts, the litigant solicitor/expert witness relationship, experts' reports and privilege, court management of expert evidence, the single joint expert, and experts' immunity from liability. The book also includes an illustrative account of one expert's experience in a complex class action relating to a pharmaceutical product. In addition to practical guidance, the book also provides a historical background to expert testimony and discusses the future development of the law, with reference to developments in the courts and other tribunals. Written by a team of leading practitioners, many of whom were members of the Working Party on the Code of Guidance for Expert Evidence, the book is an authoritative first port-of-call for civil litigation practitioners who use experts or come across them regularly in their work, the judiciary, and for experts themselves.