Expert Witness Certificate - Australia
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From $3900 + GST
Overview
Develop the skills and knowledge needed to excel as an expert witness in Australia. This 12-week practical learning programme, developed in line with RICS Standards and Guidance, equips you with the core competencies to act as a credible and reliable professional witness in legal disputes.
What is an expert witness?
Expert witnesses provide professional opinion evidence on matters beyond the expertise of judges or tribunals. When disputes escalate to court or arbitration, their insights can help clarify complex technical issues across the built environment.
Not in Australia?
We also offer programmes that are tailored for the below regions:
Who is this course for?
The RICS Expert Witness Certificate is designed for professionals in Australia’s built environment seeking to develop their theoretical knowledge and practical skills in expert witness work. Whether you’re new to the role, expanding your expertise, or advancing your career in dispute resolution, this programme provides the tools to excel in diverse and complex cases.
This course is suitable for professionals working in:
- Private practice, consultancy, and related fields
- Experts handling:
- Construction disputes
- Valuation (general practice)
- Delay analysis
Common professional backgrounds include:
- Chartered Surveyors
- Quantity Surveyors
- Building Surveyors
- Claims Consultants
- Engineers and Architects
Professionals who have benefited from this course include experienced practitioners expanding into dispute resolution to support their current service offerings.
Why choose RICS as your training provider?
RICS is a globally recognised authority in the built environment, providing trusted training aligned with professional standards. Completing the RICS Expert Witness Certificate equips you with the skills to act as a credible expert witness and positions you to apply for RICS Accredited Expert Witness status.
This accreditation is a benchmark of quality, helping professionals attract private appointments from solicitors, clients, and professional firms while building their credibility in dispute resolution.
What does the course cover?
- Establish your role before you begin work. Understand your duties to the tribunal, including receiving instructions, managing fees and navigating conflicts of interest. Recognise liability in negligence and how to manage a dual role of expert and advocate.
- Learn practical steps to take post-appointment. This includes document review, and understanding legal processes such as discovery and disclosure, admissibility and privilege.
- Write a comprehensive expert report, adhering to legal requirements and RICS standards. Understand the report structure, amendment procedure, and employ techniques for effective report writing.
- Gain proficiency in expert witness meeting procedures, including understanding historical context, court-ordered and party-initiated meetings, preparation methods, adhering to RICS guidance, complying with court directions, drafting joint statements and declarations.
- Understand evidence presentation, courtroom dynamics, roles within the court, oath-taking procedures. Recognise the importance of staying within your field of expertise, preparation, professional conduct, concurrent evidence methods.
Course format
This blended learning programme combines three interactive webinars with three online workshops, offering a balance of practical training and theoretical knowledge.
Participants will engage in:
- Report writing: develop comprehensive expert reports aligned with RICS standards.
- Role-play cross-examination exercises: practice presenting evidence confidently in a simulated courtroom setting.
- Mentorship: receive guidance from an experienced mentor to further your understanding and skills.
To help you plan effectively, you’ll need to allocate time for:
- Course reading: Every few weeks, review comprehensive materials tailored for this programme.
- Workshop preparation: Complete tasks ahead of the Competency C workshop to fully engage in sessions.
- Assessment preparation: Dedicate significant focus to preparing your expert report and other assessments.
What do you receive after completing the course?
Completing the RICS Expert Witness Certificate showcases your professionalism and expertise in expert witness work. Here’s what you’ll gain:
- RICS Expert Witness Certificate: A formal credential recognising your skills in expert report writing, evidence presentation, and professional conduct, tailored to the unique demands of the Middle East and North Africa.
- Pathway to accreditation: Eligible participants with relevant experience can apply for RICS Accredited Expert Witness status. This globally respected benchmark enhances credibility and helps professionals attract private appointments in dispute resolution.
Assessment format
The assessment process is designed to evaluate your knowledge and practical skills comprehensively, ensuring you are fully prepared to act as a credible expert witness.
What to Expect
- Multiple-choice tests: five tests spread across the course to assess your understanding of key topics and concepts covered in the material.
- Expert report evaluation: apply your learning to a real-world scenario by writing and submitting a professional expert report, adhering to RICS standards.
- Cross-examination role-play: demonstrate your ability to present and defend your evidence through a simulated cross-examination exercise.
- Informal interview: engage in a one-on-one discussion to review your knowledge of course material, including key topics from webinars and reading assignments.
Resitting assessments
If you’re unsuccessful in an assessment, you can resit with the next cohort. Resits incur a fee ranging from AUD 100 – 400, depending on the type of assessment.
This robust assessment process ensures you develop the competencies needed to excel as an expert witness and meet RICS’s high professional standards.
Course schedule
Attendance at online sessions is mandatory to successfully complete the course. Please check the below dates and times carefully.
| Session | Date and time |
|---|---|
Introduction Webinar: Course introduction and overview. |
TBC |
Competency A Workshop Part 1: Managing the appointment. |
TBC |
Competency A Workshop Part 2: Managing the appointment. |
TBC |
Competency B Webinar: Managing the post appointment process. |
TBC |
Competency C Workshop Part 1: Constructing a comprehensive expert report. |
TBC |
Competency C Workshop Part 2: Constructing a comprehensive expert report. |
TBC |
Competency D Webinar: Discussions between experts. |
TBC |
Competency E Workshop Part 1: Delivering effective evidence in court. |
TBC |
Competency E Workshop Part 2: Delivering effective evidence in court * Dependent on delegate numbers, further dates may need to be arranged for the Competency E workshop w/c 18 Aug. |
TBC |
Published date: 17 February 2025
Robert Gemmell
Robert is a chartered arbitrator and chartered quantity surveyor. Robert acts as expert witness, primarily in litigation, arbitration, and dispute board proceedings. He has also acted as arbitrator in which written and oral testimony by expert witnesses has been given under oath, and regularly considers and assesses the evidence and opinions advanced by experts in their expert reports in expert determinations and adjudication proceedings. Robert has been named in various categories of Who’s Who Legal each year since 2018 as a leading national and global expert witness and 'Thought Leader' in several categories in the field of Construction Quantum. Who's Who Legal specifically says that “Robert Gemmell stands out for his … his high-quality outputs" and is cited as "an expert of choice on large disputes". He is also a Senior Fellow of Melbourne Law School on the Masters of Construction Law program at the University of Melbourne and a published author.
“The RICS Expert Witness course provides in-depth teaching on the role of an Expert Witness on both the theoretical and practical basis. The course is taught in an interactive manner by experienced , knowledgeable and engaging professionals. In particular I thoroughly enjoyed the practical exercises on the course, i.e. the report writing and the cross-examination, these brought a practical element into the training. I take great knowledge and confidence from the course and planned to implement this within my future career. Finally, I could not recommend this course highly enough and would like to thank the RICS and the lecturers for the organisation and teaching.”
Adrian Burke
Director, CCi
“I found the scheduling, format, and structure of the online sessions to be very convenient, as they allowed me to balance my other work and personal commitments. The online platform was user-friendly and easy to navigate, which made the learning experience enjoyable. Additionally, the lecturers were highly skilled practitioners and their delivery was clear and easy to understand, making the material engaging and informative.”
Derek Lowth
Director, Boyne Consult
For your business
Equip your team with the skills they need to excel as expert witnesses. Our RICS Expert Witness Certificate programme provides comprehensive training tailored to professionals in the built environment.
Group Discounts
Book three or more places and receive a 10% discount. Please note that only one discount can be applied per booking, and group discounts cannot be combined with the Early Bird rate (if applicable).
Contact Us
To discuss training options for your employees or to take advantage of group discounts, contact our dedicated training support team:
Email: drseducation@rics.org
Notify me about upcoming courses
Register your interest in a future course, and one of our team will be in touch to assist you.
We recommend all delegates have a basic understanding of English and English reading. There are large parts of the course which involve pre-reading and background reading. You will also be expected to take part in discussions during workshops and write an expert report which you will then be cross-examined on in a role-play type scenario.
Once you've obtained experience as an Expert Witness, you can apply for accreditation. For this you'll need to attend a panel interview.
If you'd like to discuss exemptions, please contact us directly at drseducation@rics.org and we'll be able to advise you.
Yes. The course cannot be take out of order as each competency builds upon the knowledge from the previous.
Attendance at all the sessions is mandatory to successfully complete the course. If you can't make the dates you booked originally, you'll be deferred to a later course.
Yes. We have an online forum on our Online Learning Academy (OLA) where you can communicate with fellow delegates and our training team.
Pre-reading materials are provided. If you wish to be accredited you'll need to undergo the accreditation application process and interview which involves an additional fee.
