March 25, 2013 Practice Directions
IN THE DUBAI INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE COURTS
PRACTICE DIRECTION NO.1 OF 2013
Concurrent Expert Evidence
Citation
This Practice Direction will come into effect on the date of signature. It may be cited as Practice Direction 1 of 2013 – Concurrent Expert Evidence – and may be abbreviated to PD 1/2013.
The Court may give directions that expert witnesses engaged by opposing parties be sworn and present their evidence concurrently as a panel (a practice commonly known as “hot-tubbing”) in circumstances it considers appropriate.
Where the expert witnesses testify as a panel, each expert may, with the permission of the Court, give a short opening statement not exceeding 10 minutes (or such longer period as may be allowed by the Court) to introduce his report, and will thereafter be subject to questioning by the Court and Counsel, and the Court may direct that the expert witness may be questioned in any sequence as the Court thinks fit before or after they have testified as a panel. The expert witnesses may also be directed by the Court and Counsel to comment on the views of the other expert witnesses on the panel, and may also, with the permission of the Court, make a short concluding statement not exceeding 10 minutes (or such longer period as may be allowed by the Court).
The Court may give any other directions as to the giving of concurrent expert evidence as it thinks fit.
Dated this 25th day of March 2013
Chief Justice Michael Hwang
