Sir, it was with such considerable amazement when reading the penultimate paragraph of your Clinical negligence expert witness book review (BDJ 2015; 219: 55) that I thought there must have a typographical error.

The paragraph ending '...should we ever become involved within a case representing a defendant or claimant it could make the journey a much less arduous one' is grossly misleading. Notwithstanding your reviewer admitting that she is relatively new to the field, I think she should be made aware of Part 35 of the Civil Procedure Rules. This states unequivocally that an expert has an overriding duty to the court over any obligation to the party from whom they have received instructions or by whom they are being paid.

A clinical negligence expert witness does not represent anybody.

1. Finchley