BSc(Hons) Building Surveying.
Professional Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
RICS Registered Valuer.
Cardiff University/Bond Solon Accredited Expert Witness.
1st Tier APIL Expert.
Member of the Expert Witness Institute.
Accommodation Expert Witness.

I am a Chartered Surveyor and RICS Registered Valuer.

I am a tier one expert for the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and also hold the Certificate of Expert Witness Accreditation from Cardiff University Law School, Bond Solon.

I specialise in designing residential adaptation schemes for people with a wide range of disabilities, including spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries, cerebral palsy and amputations.

I am actively involved, on a day-to-day basis, with the acquisition (purchase and rental) of properties and the implementation of inclusive design projects for individuals with severe disabilities throughout the country.

I have designed a wide range of schemes for the adaptation of existing properties and specifically designed new-build dwellings to meet the needs of disabled individuals and gained experience in the preparation of working drawings, Specification of Works, building contracts and construction costs analysis.

I have over 15 years’ experience of assessing the suitability of residential properties to meet the needs of people with disabilities, as well as the valuation of properties and purchase (and rental) price negotiation.

I have also consulted on the design of residential rehabilitation centres.

I undertake Continuing Professional Development in accordance with RICS requirements.

I am an expert witness for the Court on the accommodation needs of disabled individuals in personal injury and clinical negligence claims.

I have been an accommodation expert witness for over 10 years and produce reports on the instructions of solicitors representing both Claimants and Defendants. I also receive instructions to act as a single joint expert. My expert witness work takes me throughout the United Kingdom and occasionally abroad. I have also received instructions from lawyers in the United States of America acting for claimants living in the United Kingdom.

I make a full, fair and impartial evaluation of a disabled person’s reasonable housing needs in order to assist the Court in calculating the Quantum of Damages. I have extensive experience of preparing reports on the accommodation needs of individuals with catastrophic injuries such as amputations, spinal cord injuries, acquired brain injuries, cerebral palsy and visual impairment, as well as other conditions resulting in permanent disability. I am conversant with Lord Woolf’s Reforms and the Civil Procedure Rules insofar as they affect expert witnesses.

Experience gained since 2005 specialising in this type of work shows that combining my primary responsibilities as an expert witness with practical hands-on involvement with all, or most, aspects of the accommodation part of claims significantly enhances my ability to advise the Court correctly and comprehensively on all the relevant elements and issues arising. As an RICS Registered Valuer, I am also best placed to advise the Court on the value of residential properties and any Betterment element associated with adaptation works.

I am Senior Associate at Steven Docker Associates (SDA).

SDA is a multi-award winning RICS Regulated Architectural Practice specialising in the accommodation needs of disabled individuals and the design of inclusive home environments which enable our clients to achieve the greatest level of independence possible.

SDA consists of three departments, as follows:

Expert witness.
Property finding and acquisitions.
Architectural services.

As well as regularly accepting instructions from solicitors representing Claimants and Defendants to produce Expert Witness reports, I am also head of the property search and acquisitions department. I have been assessing the suitability of residential properties to meet the needs of disabled individuals and the feasibility of adaptation works since 2005. I am also regularly involved with the implementation of inclusive design projects and construction cost management within the Architectural Services Department.