ARTICLE
15 September 2017

Duty Of A Foreign Law Expert - Porter Capital v Masters

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Clyde & Co

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Clyde & Co is a leading, sector-focused global law firm with 415 partners, 2200 legal professionals and 3800 staff in over 50 offices and associated offices on six continents. The firm specialises in the sectors that move, build and power our connected world and the insurance that underpins it, namely: transport, infrastructure, energy, trade & commodities and insurance. With a strong focus on developed and emerging markets, the firm is one of the fastest growing law firms in the world with ambitious plans for further growth.
It is an established principle that a foreign law expert should not opine on the application of foreign law to the specific facts of the case, because it is the court's role to decide that.
United Kingdom Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration

It is an established principle that a foreign law expert should not opine on the application of foreign law to the specific facts of the case, because it is the court's role to decide that. Accordingly, where documents are to be construed in accordance with foreign law, the expert can give evidence as to the relevant principles of construction but may not express an opinion as to the true construction of those documents (by applying those principles). One of the foreign law experts in this case was criticised by the other side for exceeding the proper ambit of his remit and answering questions which the court should instead decide. The judge said that there was "some substance" to that complaint on the facts. He had also displayed "a hint of advocacy", for example, arguing that the other side's expert had not raised a certain issue before. The judge said that he had borne these matters in mind when considering the expert evidence.

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