On 14th and 15th May, Director Heidi Stanley, Development Officer Liz Makin and I were exhibitors at the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers Brain and Spinal Injury Conference 2026. It was a great event where we met solicitors from all over the UK working with a variety of clients with different post-injury needs. It was lovely to also meet with equipment and rehab providers, as well as those working in housing adaptations and vehicle hire.
In her expert witness role with Jacqueline Webb & Co, Heidi took part in a mock cross-examination of care experts, in which she played the ‘good care expert’ (we expect no less!) Ben Bradley KC led proceedings, and it was a great insight into how the cross-examination process works and how a good barrister will work to ‘unnerve’ the expert in the first ten minutes, as Ben said, they are experts in their field, and he is not, so he is looking for inconsistencies in CVs/experience or their reports. Ben showed how a care expert reported that costs 24/7 care, but had missed two hours of daytime care, costing the client approximately £ 200,000 over a year. It had us reflecting here at StanleySmith Case Management on our report writing processes, although not expert witness reports, the case management reports are vital for solicitors to use for their cases, and we pride ourselves on a robust proofing process, first by a clinical mentor, who will always be an advanced BABICM practitioner, then through the office for a sense check, grammar check and formatting, before being sent securely to the legal teams.
It shows how in the world of Brain and Spinal Injury there are many parties working on behalf of the client and by working collaboratively, as well as ensuring best practice, whether that’s with the case manager chosen, the quality of reports produced or the rehab providers worked with, if everyone works collaboratively with the client’s best interests at heart, excellent outcomes can be achieved for them.
Many thanks to APIL for a well organised, interesting event!
Rebecca Shields, Business Support Manager
