Expert conclaves: avoiding collisions of ships in the night

The use of expert conclaves or joint meetings of experts¹ by Australian courts is becoming more prevalent, but there has been limited judicial guidance as to the manner in which these conclaves should be conducted. In this edition of Expert Matters, Anh Nguyen, Manager in our Sydney office considers a recent case in the Supreme Court of Victoria, Matthews v SPI Electricity Pty Ltd², which provides some judicial guidance on the procedures.

Background to the case

Matthews v SPI Electricity Pty Ltd involves a class action by a group of plaintiffs who had sustained personal injury, property damage, and/or economic loss as a result of the "Black Saturday" bushfire in Victoria in February 2009.