March 30th - Mock Trial: Experience a Real-Life Liability Court Case

This half a day CPD event is arranged and hosted by the Insurance Institute of Bournemouth, bringing CII members relevant and engaging learning and support. Face to face networking opportunity. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Commencing with lunch and networking from 12:30pm. The trial will start at 1pm and finish at 4pm.

Presentation Overview:

Have you ever wondered what happens if a legal claim goes to trial?

Mock trials have developed into an extremely useful tool in the insurance industry. We are partnering with a local LLP firm to run a mock trial to show how the process works and what to expect if a claim ends up in court proceedings. The mock trial will simulate a real-life personal injury claim that went to court recently. The accident in which a person is leading a horse up a country lane and claims that the driver of a tractor was negligent in failing to stop/turn off his engine, causing the horse to be spooked and bolt and causing her serious injuries. It is a trial on liability for the accident.

As in most real-life disputes, the law will be important, but the core of the disagreement will be about the facts. Some witnesses will be more credible than others. Both parties will have their strong points and their weak points. Ultimately, it will be up to the Judge to decide.

Key participants, including the Judge and Counsel for each party, will be played by real-life legal professionals who will be well-equipped to give you an authentic trial experience. There will also be a bundle of documents which will help attendees understand the case and consider the evidence as the trial progresses.

A not to be missed half-day CPD event with speakers, Kelvin Farmaner and Sarah Wheadon from Trethowans LLP and Gabriel Farmer from Guildhall Chambers. The last mock trial promoted by this local CII institute was a huge success and booked up very quickly. Spaces are limited and are allocated on a first come first served basis.

Speakers:

Kelvin Farmaner is an experienced litigation lawyer, accredited higher courts advocate in civil proceedings and he has a niche expertise of the insurance industry. He is a past president of the Insurance Institute of Southampton and ranked as a leading individual by Legal 500 (2023).

Sarah Wheadon is a regulatory solicitor and experienced advocate. She helps clients navigate the regulatory law that impacts on business life such as data protection, health and safety, fire safety, food safety, trading standards and environmental. Sarah is a recommended Lawyer in the Legal 500 (2021).

Gabriel Farmer has a longstanding specialist practice in Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence. He has significant experience in complex fatal accident cases and and has an allied specialism in Coronial law (inquests). His Personal Injury caseload generally comprises catastrophic cases. He has broad experience of liability issues spanning fatal accidents, Road traffic accidents, Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) claims, occupier/public liability claims, asbestos claims, cases of post-accident Clinical Negligence or involving technical factual issues

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the session, participants will have learnt:

• The format and process of a civil trial
• That not everything at court is perfectly choreographed
• That work undertaken during the life of a case can mean the difference between winning and losing
• To consider what could be done differently to improve their chances of winning a case
• To take this back to their desk and bear it in mind when dealing with their own claims in the future

Venue:

Brabant Suite, Dudsbury Golf Club

Address: 64 Christchurch Road Ferndown, Bournemouth BH22 8ST

Plenty of parking spaces available on site free of charge.

Audience:

The session is aimed at the CII / PFS members of the Insurance Institute of Bournemouth, including underwriters, loss adjusters, wording specialists and claims handlers, and is open to all CII/PFS members who would like to learn about liability civil trial court cases.