Bond Solon

Chairman: Mark Solon
Number of employees: Over 30 support staff and over 40 lawyers who deliver the sessions
Languages: English, French, Russian

Overview & History:
Bond Solon created the first independent witness familiarisation sessions in 1992 and is the UK’s foremost provider. Bond Solon’s lawyers, who are trained trainers, have worked with tens of thousands of witnesses, both lay and expert, to help build their confidence and assist them with presenting their evidence effectively. Based in central London, Bond Solon delivers sessions worldwide for a variety of legal hearings.

Bond Solon also provide formal assessed training and certifications for expert witnesses in their key areas of competence.

Services:
Witness Familiarisation:
Bond Solon provide witness familiarisation sessions for both lay and expert witnesses in many legal fora. These include all divisions of the High Court, arbitration, Family Court, tribunals (including employment, tax), criminal proceedings, inquiries, interviews and professional conduct hearings.

The sessions demystify the process of giving evidence and explain the techniques crossexamining lawyers use to disconcert and discredit witnesses. Witnesses experience cross-examination in a mock hearing but based on a case study unrelated to the facts and issues of the case in question. Feedback on how to give clear and concise evidence is then provided to both the witness and the instructing lawyer.

Bond Solon is based in central London and provides sessions across the UK, including Scotland and the Channel Islands. They are regularly instructed to deliver sessions globally in all the major arbitration and offshore centres. They have extensive experience of working with international witnesses, often with interpreters present. Bond Solon also conducts training by video conference.

They can call on a pool of over 40 qualified solicitors and barristers from many practice areas to deliver witness familiarisation. All these lawyers are also trained trainers, often with years of experience of working with witnesses.

All sessions are confidential, and Bond Solon will not comment on matters in which they have worked. However, they have delivered sessions on behalf of many high-profile witnesses including, as was reported in the press, Roman Abramovich, who received witness familiarisation ahead of giving evidence in his dispute with former business partner Boris Berezofsky. They are regularly instructed to work on high value disputes, both in the UK and overseas.

Bond Solon has an extensive client list, working with many global law firms and corporations based in the UK and overseas.

Key Clients:
Akin Gump, Allen & Overy, Alexiou Fisher Philipps, Ashurst, Baker McKenzie, Bristows, Clifford Chance, Clyde & Co, CMS, DLA Piper, Freshfields, Gibson Dunn, Hogan Lovells, Jones Day, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, Milbank, Mishcon de Reya, Norton Rose Fulbright, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Payne Hicks Beach, Reed Smith, Skadden, Slaughter & May, Vinson & Elkins, White & Case, WilmerHale, Withers.

Expert Witness Training:
Bond Solon is also the UK’s leading provider of expert witness training, delivering sessions to thousands of experts a year both at public programmes and in-house. The sessions give experts an understanding of the law and procedure relevant to their role as an expert witness, the skills required to write court compliant statements and reports, and demonstrate how to give effective evidence under cross-examination.

Bond Solon, in partnership with Cardiff University Law School, run the only university recognised certification for expert witnesses. Those experts who have obtained certification by Cardiff University Law School are listed on Bond Solon’s National Register of University Certificated Expert Witnesses.