Our model

British Medical Experts operates a medico-legal expert witness directory on a chambers basis. Experts join the panel by way of a one-off joining fee and are instructed directly. We do not act as a reselling agency between the solicitor and the expert, and we take no trading margin on the expert’s invoice.

When you instruct through us, the fee proposal you receive is the expert’s fee. There is no agency uplift bundled into it.

The JXX v Archibald ruling, and why it does not arise with us

In *JXX v Archibald* [2026] EWHC 630 (SCCO), the Senior Costs Judge held that the recoverable mark-up applied by a Medical Reporting Organisation should not exceed 25% of the expert’s fee, and that an MRO fee is to be treated as a disbursement.

The 25% cap concerns MRO mark-up. Because British Medical Experts applies no mark-up, the cap does not arise. There is no agency uplift in our fees, so there is no mark-up element for a paying party to challenge on assessment, and no cap to apply.

What you instruct is what is recoverable, on a clean and transparent basis.

What this means for instructing parties

No mark-up. The expert’s fee is the fee. We do not add an agency margin. 

No hidden costs. There are no administration surcharges or bundled fees layered onto the expert’s invoice.

Clean recovery. With no mark-up element, there is nothing for a paying party to deconstruct or cap – the expert’s fee stands on its own as a reasonable and proportionate disbursement.

Direct instruction. You instruct the expert directly through the directory, with BME providing the matching, panel administration, and support.

Independently vetted, court-compliant

Our panel is independently vetted, and experts report under their duty to the court in accordance with CPR Part 35. We can confirm availability, turnaround, and suitability for a given specialty on request. 

*General information on a costs ruling; not legal advice.