Wednesday 16 December, 11am-12noon (GMT)

Most criminal trials and many civil disputes in which digital evidence is an element need the services of one or more expert witnesses. But the role is often misunderstood. What is an expert witness, and what do they do? Before any court appearance, there may be an extensive investigatory and advisory role. Experts work under particular rules, and their overriding duty is to the court, not to whoever is paying their fees.

For over 25 years, Professor Peter Sommer has been acting as an independent expert in criminal trials for both prosecution and defence, and in many civil cases. He has been instructed in almost every type of criminality (hacking, fraud, murder, terrorism, serious organised crime, blackmail, official secrets) and many classic civil cases (contractual disputes, HR disputes, suspected forged emails and documents), many with international dimensions. In this webinar, he will explain the ground rules, the phases within an instruction, and tell us a few of his war stories.

Chaired by

Martin Smith MBE (info), Chairman & Founder, The SASIG

Presented by

Peter Sommer (info), Professor of Digital Forensics, Birmingham City University