Course Information
Established in 2002, the CUBS Certificate is widely regarded as the gold standard for those who act as expert witnesses in England and Wales.
Holding this unique certificate demonstrates to both instructing parties and the courts that you have been trained and assessed to have the core and requisite competencies to act as an expert witness.
There are three certificates to choose from, with the option to complete multiple certificates where applicable:
- Civil Expert Witness Certificate
- Criminal Expert Witness Certificate
- Family Expert Witness Certificate
CUBS is a valuable marketing tool to promote your expert witness practice. Upon successful completion, certificate holders can join the National Register of University Certificated Expert Witnesses for free.
To date, over 2,500 experts across various professions have completed or are undertaking one of our university certificates.
Key Learning Outcomes
- Gain an overview of how the court system works
- Understand your role as an independent educator of the court
- Identify key skills of presenting effective evidence in-person or remotely
- Determine the techniques lawyers use in cross-examination and how to handle them, include how these may differ with virtual hearings
- Express an opinion based on the foundation of fact
- Learn how to give confident, clear testimony under cross-examination in-person or remotely
Certificate Details
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Training days: 5 days training
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Assessments: 3 assessments, 2 of which are completed on course
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Public certification format: Virtual
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In-house certification format: Virtual or face-to-face for a group of experts
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Suitable for: New and practising experts
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Cost: £2,295 + VAT if the days are booked separately | £2,065 + VAT if the days are booked together (fees includes the £499 + VAT marking and certification fee)
Please call 020 7549 2549 or email expertwitness@bondsolon.com to discuss or book an in-house course.
Training
Candidates are required to complete the following compulsory training courses:
They can then work toward one or more of the certificates by completing the relevant Law and Procedure course:
- Civil Law and Procedure (2 days)
- Criminal Law and Procedure (2 days)
- Family Law and Procedure (2 days)
Assessment Process
CUBS is assessed in three parts. Whilst all assessments must be completed within two-years, most candidates finish them in a much shorter period of time:
- Assessment of your expert witness report
The candidate’s expert witness report can be submitted to Cardiff University at any time during the two-year period. The report must be submitted in court-ready condition including any photographs, plans etc. - Review of your performance under cross-examination
An audio-visual recording of the candidate’s performance will be made during the Cross-Examination Day and submitted to Cardiff for marking. - Multiple choice examination on law and procedure
A multiple-choice examination is sat at the end of the Law and Procedure and submitted to Cardiff for marking.
Provided that a pass is reached in all three assessments, the candidate will be awarded the Civil, Criminal or Family Cardiff University Bond Solon (CUBS) Expert Witness Certificate. They will also be provided with the certificate logo and specific wording, which can be used to publicise their achievement.