Compass Chambers Annual Conference

Edinburgh

We are delighted to advise that registration is now open for our Annual Conference on Friday 22nd November from 12:30pm until 5:30pm at the Balmoral Hotel. Under the Law Society of Scotland’s Guidelines, delegates may claim 3 hours of CPD time.  The conference is open to all solicitors, in-house lawyers, trainees and paralegals.

We will once again be using the Cvent AttendeeHub event app at the Conference this year.  The app aims to give delegates a more integrated and interactive experience.  On the app you will be able to view your personal schedule and see details of all the speakers and sessions.  You will be able to access handouts from the talks, make notes, leave feedback, as well as interacting on social media.  The format of the Conference will be the similar to previous years with a choice of 16 different talks available to choose from across 4 breakout sessions with talks from Compass members relating to our core areas of Reparation and Regulatory & Inquiries as well as more General, Practical sessions. In addition, we once again have four talks from guest experts that we are delighted are able to join us.

In one change from previous years, Andrew Smith KC will present three separate talks on expert evidence. They are linked, but each can stand alone. For anyone who has the stamina to listen to Andrew for more than one, they will be more than welcome. Andrew encourages all his discussions to be interactive with questions and contributions from all attending. Rather than a lecture, this should be seen more as a tutorial. The sessions will include several anecdotes by illustration; and the last will utilise some video clips of experts in various actual cases who have managed to ignore several of the rules applicable. As with previous events, there will be an admission fee of £100 per delegate.  We believe this to be a reasonable charge that will not only help continue the improvements to the Conference in the years ahead, but will also ensure a healthy donation to our annual charity. £35 from each admission fee will be donated to our nominated charity for this year - SAMH.

BOOKING DETAILS

To reserve your place at the Conference please click here. Whilst there are a large choice of talks available, more popular sessions may sell out quickly so book your place now to avoid disappointment. The line-up for this year is - 

Breakout Session 1

• Criminal Appeals - Practicalities and Procedure - David Adams
• QOCS - Recent Developments - Donald Mackay
• Reivers, Rome and Renegades: Cross-border PI litigation update - Craig Murray KC
• Life following Spinal Cord Injury - Secondary complications and the role of Assistive Technology - Norma Findlay, Clinical Director / Care Expert

Breakout Session 2

• Health & Safety Update - Barry Smith KC
• Expert Evidence - An Introduction - Andrew Smith KC
• Secondary Victims: pre and post Paul - Ross Crawford
• Factors informing opinion in pain presentations: an integration of symptom report, illness behaviour, pattern recognition, and clinical experience presented as a series of case reviews - Dr Caroline Whymark, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Pain Management

Breakout Session 3

• Fatal Accident Inquiries - Preparation, Presentation and Pitfalls - Gavin Anderson KC & Kate Bennett
• The Practicalities of Expert Evidence - Andrew Smith KC
• Abuse Cases Update - Amber Galbraith KC & Adam Black
• Everything you always wanted to know about the Neurology Expert Report - Dr Ed Newman, Consultant Neurologist

Breakout Session 4

• The Right to Die - where are we now and what does the future hold? - Richard Pugh KC
• Expert Evidence - Some Examples - Andrew Smith KC
• The Return of The Thornley/Laing Podcast – This Time Its Personal (Injuries) - Steve Laing & Gavin Thornley
• The Medical Expert: what makes me an expert, how do I form an opinion and what are the points of controversy - Robert Clayton, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon

The Conference will conclude with a drinks reception from 5:30pm to which all attendees are invited. If you have any questions or need any more information about the Conference, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Gavin Herd - 0131 260 5648 - gavin.herd@compasschambers.com
Leona Crosby - 0131 260 5610 - leona.crosby@compasschambers.com
Jamie Black - 0131 260 5697 - jamie.black@compasschambers.com