239: Expert Witnesses: What to Expect at Trial

In this episode of LawPod UK, Lucy McCann is joined by Professor Valena Beety, legal scholar, innocence litigator and former federal prosecutor, to discuss her new book Pink Crime.Professor Beety explores her concept of ‘Pink Crime’ a distinctive category of wrongful convictions of women and queer people, often in cases where no crime actually occurred, by examining historic cases and contemporary prosecutions involving pregnancy loss, parenting decisions, and queer identity.The conversation considers the impact of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, including the growing criminalisation of miscarriage and stillbirth, as well as the ways in which similar assumptions about identity and deviance have shaped the treatment of LGBTQ+ people.Lucy and Professor Beety also discuss the dangers of unreliable forensic evidence, the different approaches to equality in the US, Canada and the UK, and the role that lawyers can play in challenging unjust outcomes. Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.

Rosalind English talks to Amelia Walker of 1 Crown Office Row, frequently to be seen in the Court of Protection, about what the recent decision in response to the Northern Ireland's reference really means in practice, in particular in relation to care home residents and capacity assessments.Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.

A casino in your pocket 24/7. Is the Gambling Act 2005 fit for purpose? Rosalind English talks to Merry Varney and Dan Webster, both experts in this area at Leigh Day solicitors.Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.

Lucy McCann is joined by Jonathan Metzer (1 Crown Office Row) to update listeners on the Palestine Action litigation. Last week the Court of Appeal overturned the Divisional Court’s decision to render the Government’s proscription of Palestine Action unlawful, in R (Ammori) v SSHD [2026] EWCA Civ 721.For further detail see Jon’s write up of the case for the UK Human Rights Blog.For a detailed discussion of the Divisional Court’s decision, listen to episode 233.Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.

In Episode 239 Emma-Louise Fenelon speaks to John Whitting KC about expert evidence at trial, which will be of interest to first-time and seasoned experts alike. This episode is the third in our series on expert evidence, following Episode 177 with Margaret Bowron KC and Episode 100 with Neil Sheldon KC.Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.

In this episode of LawPod UK, Lucy McCann is joined by Jasper Gold and Paula Kelly of 1 Crown Office Row to explore the concept of consent.The discussion ranges from philosophical theories of consent to informed consent in medical law after Montgomery, the limits of consent to harm in criminal law, and the role of deception in sexual offences. Along the way, the episode considers broader questions of autonomy, paternalism, and the different functions consent performs across modern law.Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.

Rosalind English talks to animal law protection solicitor Edie Bowles of the Animal Law Foundation and Veronica Wiggins, who directs campaigns to protect consumers against misleading advertising. We explore the widespread and systemic misrepresentation of our food animals as leading happy healthy free range lives when in fact 85 % of animals are subject to inhumane conditions in factory farms. For a deeper dive into the whole problem of "humane washing" here is a recent study. Animal Law Foundation reports on animal welfare enforcement and other legal insights can be found here.Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.

Rosalind English talks to Jacob Turner, barrister at Fountain Court Chambers, and Michael Workman, former lawyer at the Law Commission. Both are AI experts who have taken part in assembling the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce draft Legal Statement regarding liability for AI-related harm in England and Wales, pertaining to private law.Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.

1COR’s Lizanne Gumbel KC and Matthew Leitch join Jim Duffy to talk through some of the latest judgments in the field of medical law. Among the highlights are the use of surveillance footage, ‘lost years’, percentage offers under Part 36 and secondary victimhood.Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.

Legal professionals are increasingly becoming involved in the conduct of investigations, in the workplace and elsewhere. Marina Wheeler KC joins Jim Duffy to look at how the skill sets of barristers can help determine what has happened and why, and increase the prospects of swift resolution and a clean break.Law Pod UK is published by 1 Crown Office Row. Supporting articles are published on the UK Human Rights Blog. Follow and interact with the podcast team on Twitter.