Somek and Associates was established in 1997, with Alison Somek having worked as an expert witness in medico-legal litigation since the early 80s. The senior team involved in the development and running of the company over the past 10 years have over 60 years expert witness experience between them – we have a long history and a wealth of experience.
We know the business of medico-legal reports. We listen to our clients and are known for our “can do” attitude, providing reports that comprehensively address the needs according to your instructions, use relevant legal tests and principles, are robustly argued, well structured – and competitively priced.
We make it our business to know the medico-legal environment, including the earlier changes following the Woolf reforms to more recent changes after the Jackson Report. We are passionate about “professionalism” both in the field of expertise and in our role as expert witnesses.
is CEO of Somek and Associates. She set the company up in 1997, having worked in the National Health Service for over 20 years, as an occupational therapist. She has been writing expert witness reports on care and occupational therapy since the 80s – pre Woolf! Alison has seen the medico-legal environment change dramatically over this period, but has always been passionate about professionalism and independence in her role as an expert witness, and continues to ensure that this, and the integrity of the expert witness, is embodied in the work of the associates and the company as a whole.
In 1997, the company had just two associates, both occupational therapists, and by 2017 the number is nearer two hundred, and now includes nurses, midwives, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, and other allied health professions. This is reflective of the growth in need for expert witnesses in a range of health care professions allied to medicine, as well as the high regard for Alison and the team at Somek and Associates.
We don’t just provide “an expert witness report” we provide a quality service to both clients and associates!
Due to the expansion, in 2009, the company was incorporated, and moved to our current location of large modern offices in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, where the provision of high quality services can be facilitated.
Our dedicated reports team bring added value to all reports submitted. Working with experienced expert witnesses as part of the mentoring team, we provide a quality control service to guarantee all reports are submitted on time having been proof read, formatted and scrutinised to ensure their clarity, consistency and robust quality, prior to submission.
I was very impressed and happy with the content of the report and its format, the report was very easy to follow and understand. Overall I was very happy with the report itself and service provided by yourselves.
At the point of responding to your enquiry we will attach a copy of our fee schedule which will provide an indication of typical hours required to prepare the type of report requested. As all cases are individual, we will liaise with you further regarding your requirements and other aspects of the case e.g. volume of records to be reviewed, number of allegations, location of the Claimant etc. prior to preparing a detailed fee estimate specific to each case.
Can you provide Fee estimates?
Yes. We would be happy to discuss likely fees and can provide upfront fee estimates for all quantum and full liability reports. Our Limited Screening Reports (LSRs) work on a fixed fee basis and we will provide a copy of our LSR fee schedule when responding to your initial enquiry.
For quantum reports, when an assessment of the Claimant is required, we aim to provide the report within 6-8 weeks from the date of the assessment. A full liability report will typically be submitted within 4-6 weeks from receipt of your instructions and Limited Screening reports will be submitted within 2-4 weeks. Please note these are the standard reporting time frames we aim to meet, but if you require something sooner or require an urgent report we will do all we can to accommodate your needs. This will be dependent on expert availability.
Why do I need to provide information about the case prior to requesting an expert’s availability?
We ask that as much information about a case is provided as soon as possible to ensure we can confirm that the expert’s clinical background is suited to the particular case, along with checking for any potential conflict of interest. This will also assist us in calculating a more accurate fee estimate if required.
At Somek & Associates we are passionate about ensuring our experts are, and are seen to be, independent, impartial and objective. Accordingly we maintain as close to a 50/50 split as possible and work towards ensuring this is the same for every one of our associates. For an expert’s specific Claimant / Defendant split please get in touch with our office to request details.
. Approximately 2% of our cases go to Court, therefore the majority of our experts have not attended Court, however we insist our experts complete the Bond Solon Courtroom Skills course to help prepare them should they need to attend.
We have experts all over the UK, from Land’s End to John O’Groats and will always aim to provide the most appropriate expert as close as possible to the Claimant’s location. Please
