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Expert witness fees and legal aid.

The search is free, and each expert’s CV is provided with their fee quote. We take legally aided cases, and quotes come within the legal aid rates.

0121 752 6061 info@medicalexpertsforlawyers.co.uk

I need for case.

How our fees work.

You see each expert’s fee before you commit to anything.

The fee is quoted for your case: it depends on the expert, the questions and the volume of records.

We arrange the instruction and the terms of appointment. The expert’s duty is to the court, and the opinion in the report is theirs.

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Cost estimates for the court.

Each CV comes with the expert’s fee, so your permission application has the name and the cost: in civil claims it must estimate the costs of the proposed expert evidence (CPR 35.4(2)).

The court may limit the fees and expenses a party can recover from any other party (CPR 35.4(4)).

In children proceedings, the application states the likely cost of the report on an hourly or other basis. It also gives the proposed split of a joint expert’s fee, when it is to be paid and whether public funding has been approved (PD 25C, para 3.10(g) and (h)).

Guidance for the Instruction of Experts in Civil Claims 2014, para 17.

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Who pays the expert.

SituationWho paysSource
Single joint expertThe instructing parties, jointly and severally, unless the court directs otherwiseCPR 35.8(5); FPR 25.12(6)
Answers to Part 35 questionsThe party or parties who instructed the expert. The court still decides who finally bears the feesPD 35, para 6.2
Questions the expert does not answerThe court may order that the party cannot recover that expert’s fees from any other partyCPR 35.6(4)
Recovery from the other sideThe court may limit the expert’s fees and expenses a party can recoverCPR 35.4(4)
Private law family cases, legal aidThe starting point is an equal split between the partiesLegal Aid Agency family guidance, para 3.5
Witness summonsA summons does not change the obligation to pay the expert’s feesCJC Guidance, para 86

If the expert will be a single joint expert, say so in the enquiry, and we send CVs and fees you can put to the other side. Joint experts and Part 35 questions are covered in more detail in how to instruct an expert.

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Legal aid expert rates in England and Wales.

Most expert fees in legally aided cases are set by legislation. Below are the maximum rates for the specialties on this site.

Civil legal aid

Expert, as named in the ScheduleOutside London, per hourLondon, per hour
Psychiatrist£108£108
Child psychiatrist£108£108
Psychologist£93.60£93.60
Child psychologist£100.80£100.80
Neurologist (other than a clinical negligence cerebral palsy case)£122.40£72
Neurologist (clinical negligence cerebral palsy case)£200£200
Neuropsychiatrist£126.40£72
Orthopaedic surgeon£115.20£115.20
Paediatrician£108£72
Doctor (GP)£79.20£72
GP (records report)£50.40 per report£72 per report
Medical consultant£108£72

Criminal legal aid

Expert, as named in the ScheduleOutside London, per hourLondon, per hour
Psychiatrist£124.20£82.80
Child psychiatrist£124£83
Psychologist£107.64£82.80
Child psychologist£116£83
Neurologist£141£83
Neuropsychiatrist£145£83
Orthopaedic surgeon£132£83
Paediatrician£124£83
Doctor (GP)£91£83
GP (records report)£57.96 per report£82.80 per report
Medical consultant£124£83

Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013 and Criminal Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013, Schedule 5, as at October 2026. These are the maximum rates as the Schedules set them, including where the London rate is lower. In family cases, London rates apply where the expert is based in a London borough (Legal Aid Agency family guidance, para 5.32).

Rates may be raised in exceptional circumstances, where the expert’s evidence is key to the client’s case. The material must also be so complex that an expert with a high level of seniority is needed, or so specialised and unusual that only very few experts are available (civil: Schedule 5, para 2(2); crime: regulation 16(2) and (3)). Forensic psychiatry and acute medicine have no row of their own; in crime, caseworkers consider the nature of the work where the category is unclear (Legal Aid Agency crime guidance, para 6.1).

Tell us the case is legally aided, and the quotes come within these rates. Where the case justifies a higher rate, the quote sets out why.

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Prior authority and prior approval.

England and Wales

  • Prior authority is the Legal Aid Agency’s approval to pay for expert services before you instruct
  • It is required in some cases and optional in others. Where it is required and you do not apply, the cost may not be paid
  • Family: prior authority is the only way to secure an hourly rate in advance of assessment. You may apply for prior authority for an unusually large item, generally one over £5,000 per funded client or above the hours in the table below (Legal Aid Agency family guidance, paras 3.1 and 3.3)
  • Crime: in most cases it is optional, but it cannot be granted after the work is done. In prison law it is required above £500

Scotland

  • SLAB’s prior approval is needed to employ any expert witness, in civil, criminal and children’s legal aid
  • Approval after the event is given only for a special reason
  • Civil: where a report will cost more than £1,750, send competitive quotes with the application, or explain why they are not appropriate. No separate approval is needed for the expert to attend court, unless the report was obtained before legal aid was granted
  • Civil: secretarial, postage, courier and other administrative charges are not paid

Northern Ireland

  • Civil and family: prior authority for an expert is a condition of every legal aid certificate, unless a published General Authority already covers the expert. The Legal Services Agency’s guidance applies to new requests made on or after 6 July 2026
  • Outside the published upper limits: two comparative estimates below £10,000, three above
  • A request that does not comply is returned under query for 21 days, then withdrawn
  • Criminal matters: prior authority is not required under rule 9 of the Legal Aid for Crown Court Proceedings (Costs) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2005

Family cases in England and Wales: when to apply

ExpertOne person assessedTwo or three people assessed
Psychiatrist15 hours25 or 35 hours
Child psychiatrist25 hours35 or 45 hours
Psychologist, including child psychologist25 hours35 or 45 hours
Paediatrician15 hours25 or 30 hours

Legal Aid Agency, Guidance on the Remuneration of Expert Witnesses in Family Cases, June 2026, Table 1. Do not apply where the expert charges the set hourly rate and quotes no more than these hours (para 3.10). The hours exclude travel and court attendance, which are justified on final assessment (para 3.12). Where you do need prior authority, each quote gives you the expert’s fee for the application, and we help with the paperwork.

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Cancellation, travel and court attendance.

Cancellation charges, travel and any fees for attending court belong in the terms of appointment (CJC Guidance, para 17). Tell us at the start if the expert may need to attend court, so the quote covers it.

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Questions about expert witness fees.

For anything else about your case, call us.

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How much does a medical expert witness charge?

It depends on the specialty, the questions and the volume of records, so each fee is quoted for your case and sent with the CV. In legally aided cases in England and Wales, most rates are set by legislation.

Do I need prior authority for a medical expert?

In England and Wales it is required in some cases and optional in others. In crime it is optional in most cases, but it cannot be granted once the work is done. In Scotland you need SLAB’s prior approval for any expert. In Northern Ireland, civil and family cases need prior authority unless a General Authority covers the expert, and in criminal matters it is not required.

What is the legal aid rate for a psychiatrist?

In England and Wales, up to £108 per hour in civil cases. In criminal cases, up to £124.20 per hour outside London and £82.80 per hour in London (Schedule 5 to each set of 2013 Regulations).

Can an expert’s fee depend on the outcome?

In civil claims, the Civil Justice Council’s guidance strongly discourages it (para 88), whether the fee depends on the nature of the evidence or on the outcome of the case. The expert’s duty is to the court.

Send the case. We find the experts.

  • The type of caseFamily, personal injury, criminal, immigration, employment…
  • The specialty, or the issuesIf you are not sure who you need, describe the medical questions
  • The court or tribunalAnd any directions already made about expert evidence
  • Your deadlineHearing, filing or limitation date
  • How the case is fundedLegal aid, private, CFA or insurer
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We send you the CVs, fees and availability of experts who can meet it.

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