Expert Witness practice: skills, techniques and the impact of AI

Nicola Cohen, Chief Executive, The Academy of Experts
Ms Nicola COHEN is the Chief Executive of The Academy of Experts, the professional body founded in 1987 for those acting as Expert Witnesses. She has more than 35 years’ experience within the expert and dispute resolution arena and has extensive understanding of the needs of both experts and those who instruct them.

In her role as Chief Executive, Ms COHEN has been actively engaged in the establishment of best practice and the setting of professional standards for experts. She regularly liaises with the Ministry of Justice and other organisations in the United Kingdom and internationally, contributing to the development of guidance and policy affecting expert evidence. She has sat on numerous committees and working parties focused on the role of the expert and the standards expected of expert witnesses.

Ms COHEN currently serves as Clerk to the Judicial Committee of The Academy of Experts, which has issued widely respected guidance for experts, including contributing to the development of the Model Form of Experts Report. She is also actively involved in training experts and dispute resolution professionals, both in the United Kingdom and internationally, including in jurisdictions such as Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Dubai.

In addition, Ms COHEN has held senior positions within professional bodies, including service as Master and Senior Warden of The Worshipful Company of Arbitrators, and she is currently Immediate Past Master.

KC Cheng, FCA
KC Cheng is a Chartered Accountant with extensive experience in auditing, accounting, and corporate finance, having served as a technical and audit partner at Deloitte and co‑headed its corporate finance division. He has overseen audits of major listed companies, acted as reporting accountant in IPOs, and advised on complex issues such as listing rules, disclosures, and Hong Kong’s Codes on Takeovers, Mergers, and Share Buy‑backs. These roles required him to form clear, defensible professional opinions on intricate transactions — skills directly transferable to expert witness testimony, where clarity, independence, and technical authority are paramount.

Beyond auditing, KC’s career spans senior leadership in a listed manufacturing group and his own advisory practice since 2009, specialising in Pre‑IPO work, tax investigations, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. He has also managed intellectual property disputes, crisis events, and cross‑border China business matters, giving him first‑hand exposure to contentious and complex corporate issues. Combined with his dual Master’s degrees in Professional Accounting and English for the Professions, he is uniquely equipped to interpret both figures and documents, and to communicate expert opinions persuasively in legal, regulatory, or arbitration settings.

Helen Gregory, Partner, Opus Business Advisory Group
Ms Helen GREGORY is a Partner in the forensic accounting team at Opus Business Advisory Group and is based in the firm’s Bristol office. She has specialised in forensic accounting since 1998 and has extensive experience across both civil and criminal forensic investigations, commercial litigation disputes and matrimonial matters.

Ms GREGORY has worked on complex, large‑scale multinational investigations as well as matters involving owner‑managed businesses. She is regularly instructed as a party expert, single joint expert and party adviser, and has provided expert evidence in courts and tribunals. In Taylor v Savik & Anor [2024] EWCC 7, Ms GREGORY was described as “a very precise witness”, noted for her careful handling of documentary evidence and clear articulation of the limits of her expertise.

Her professional experience includes two secondments to the Serious Fraud Office. Since relocating to the South West of England, Ms GREGORY’s work has focused primarily on owner‑managed businesses, with assignments frequently involving business valuations, litigation support and fraud investigations.

Ms GREGORY is a Council Member of The Academy of Experts and a Board Member of the South West Fraud Forum. She is a member of ICAEW.

Dominic Stanton, Head of Training and Online Development, The Academy of Experts
Mr Dominic STANTON is the Head of Training and Online Development at The Academy of Experts. He has many years of experience working with Expert Witnesses and in organising and coordinating training courses across the public and private sectors, both in the United Kingdom and overseas.

Mr STANTON has extensive experience liaising with the public sector and, alongside his training responsibilities, sits on a number of Ministry of Justice liaison committees.

Mr STANTON is a Board Member of the Civil Mediation Council. He is also a former Board Member and Trustee of the Civil Mediation Council and has served as Past Chairman and Treasurer of the National Mediation Providers Association.

He holds a BA (Hons) in Information Management and Finance from the University of Westminster.

Minesh Tanna, Partner and Global AI Lead, Simmons & Simmons
Mr Minesh TANNA is a Partner and Global AI Lead at the international law firm, Simmons & Simmons. He is also Chair of The Academy of Experts’ Membership Vetting Committee.

Mr TANNA is recognised as a leading AI lawyer. He is Chair of the Society for Computers and Law (SCL) AI Group and Chair of the City of London Law Society (CLLS) AI Committee.

As well as advising clients in this area, Mr TANNA is a regular speaker, lecturer and media commentator on AI law, and has contributed chapters to various textbooks on the subject.