Obiter Review

Obiter Review is intended for professionals involved in the preparation or use of expert reports, particularly in the context of court or tribunal proceedings. This includes expert witnesses of all disciplines, as well as instructing parties and others involved in scrutiny of expert reports.

The service is suitable for:

• Expert witnesses of any discipline preparing reports for legal proceedings

• Solicitors seeking an independent, pre-service critique of an expert report

• Instructing parties who wish to identify errors or areas requiring clarification before reliance on a report

Obiter Review applies a structured, discipline-agnostic methodology to the review of expert reports prepared for court or tribunal proceedings.

Each review is conducted by reference to the purpose of the report and the context in which it is to be relied upon, and focuses on the following core elements:

• Instructions and scope – Consideration of whether the report addresses the instructions given and remains within the stated scope of expertise.

• Use of material and records – Review of how source material, records, and factual information are identified, relied upon, and integrated into the report.

• Internal consistency and reasoning – Assessment of the coherence of the report, including reasoning and whether there are internal contradictions or ambiguities.

• Separation of fact and opinion – Examination of whether factual material, assumptions, and expert opinion are clearly distinguished.

• Clarity, structure, and tone – Consideration of whether the report is clearly structured, intelligible to a legal audience, and expressed in an appropriate, professional tone.

• Proofreading and technical accuracy – Identification of typographical errors, grammatical issues, referencing inconsistencies, and other technical matters that may detract from clarity or professionalism.

The review is confined to the material provided and does not involve independent investigation, fact-finding, or verification of underlying evidence. No amendments are made to reports, and no alternative wording is are offered.

Reviews are advisory in nature and intended to assist authors and instructing parties in identifying matters that may warrant further consideration prior to service or reliance on the report.

The review will not identify vulnerability to cross-examination, evidential gaps or seek to influence or change the expert’s opinion in any way.

Obiter Review operates on the basis of professional independence and neutrality.

Reviews are conducted independently of the instructing party and the author of the report, and are not influenced by the outcome sought in any proceedings. The purpose of the service is to identify issues that may affect the clarity of a report, never to influence opinion or advance a particular case or position.

Obiter Review does not provide advocacy, strategic advice, or commentary directed towards the interests of any party to proceedings. Reviews are advisory in nature and cannot replace professional judgment, supervision, or legal advice.

No amendments are made to reports, no alternative wording is suggested and Obiter Review does not assume authorship, co-authorship, or responsibility for the content of any report. Responsibility for the final form and substance of a report remains with its author.

Obiter Review is led by forensic psychiatrists who are accustomed, through routine professional practice, to handling highly sensitive material, including medical records, witness statements, expert reports, and other documents prepared for use in court and tribunal proceedings. These materials are managed with an understanding of the evidential context in which such documents are used. We use Obiter Review in our own practice and we have developed our systems to ensure that confidentiality is built in from the ground up.

The service is intended for use with sensitive, confidential material prepared for legal proceedings. Our processes are therefore designed to minimise access, limit handling, and avoid unnecessary storage or transmission of report data.

Access to submitted reports and generated review outputs is fully automated. Reports are processed by Obiter Review’s systems without human access or intervention. No individual at Obiter Review views, reads, or accesses submitted reports or outputs at any stage.

All report material is processed offline on hardware owned and used exclusively for this purpose by Obiter Review. The processing happens in England on our premises using our hardware and bespoke systems, for the sole purpose of the requested review. Obiter Review does not use any public, consumer-facing, or general-purpose artificial intelligence systems to process confidential material, and no submitted content is retained or used for training, retention, analytical or any other purposes. No submitted material is uploaded to, processed by or transmitted through any public or consumer AI platforms. We do not use any other external or online tools or systems as part of the Obiter Review process, including, but not limited to, public or consumer-facing generative AI platforms.

Submitted reports and any associated review output are retained only for as long as is necessary to complete the review and deliver the Obiter Review itself. Once the review process is complete, report data and review material are securely and permanently deleted. No submitted material is archived or maintained for any reason.

Obiter Review does not store reports or review outputs for future reference, comparison, or service development. Confidential material is never repurposed, reused, or retained beyond the scope of the specific instruction given. Our systems do not use reports for training and do not incorporate any aspect of reports into models or software.

Nicholas Taylor

Dr Taylor is a consultant forensic psychiatrist with experience in the assessment, preparation, and scrutiny of expert psychiatric evidence for court and tribunal proceedings. His work routinely involves the analysis of medico-legal reports, medical records, witness statements, legal documents and other evidential material, with an understanding of how such documents are examined and challenged in legal contexts.

He brings a focus on clarity, internal consistency, and the defensibility of expert opinion, informed by practical experience of giving and evaluating expert evidence, orally and in writing over many years.

Nicholas Ting

Dr Ting is a consultant forensic psychiatrist with experience in medico-legal assessment and the preparation of expert reports for use in legal proceedings. His professional practice involves regular engagement with sensitive clinical and evidential material, including medical records, witness statements, and a wide range of expert documentation.

He contributes a careful, structured approach to the review of reports, with particular attention to evidential reasoning, scope of opinion, and professional standards.

Thomas Taylor

Thomas Taylor is a law student with an interest in medico-legal and commercial work including the treatment of expert evidence within legal proceedings. He supports Obiter Review through legal research and case-based analysis of legal requirements, focusing on clarity, coherence, and how expert material may be read and understood by a legal audience. He advises on the types of issues in reports which may engage judicial criticism around expectations of expert evidence, drawing on decided cases and legal commentary. This includes consideration of how reports may be read, interpreted, or challenged by lawyers and the court, and how particular features of expert evidence have been treated in previous decisions. He does not provide legal advice or advocacy.

Select “Submit a report for review” and follow the on-screen instructions.

You will be asked to provide an email address and create a password. Once registration is complete, proceed to payment and upload your expert report.

The full Obiter Review is typically completed in approximately 10 minutes. You will receive an email notification when the review is ready.

Access your review by clicking the secure link in the email and entering your password. The full Obiter Review will be available to view online. You may wish to print a copy for your records.

No confidential information is ever sent by email. Your uploaded report will be securely and permanently deleted shortly afterwards. The link in the email will be live for seven days, after which your Obiter Review will be deleted.