An award-winning expert witness has released the first ever mobile app for witnesses in employment tribunals under the name Pocket Witness.
Trevor Gilbert, of legal training firm Witness Box developed the app to help HR professionals and staff due to give evidence at tribunals, internal hearings and in civil litigation, in an effort to help them understand the process.
Trevor says: “In my experience, witnesses due to go to tribunal find the prospect intimidating and oppressive, far removed from their everyday lives. Access to justice is all about making the process clear and easily understood and I am confident Pocket Witness will help peel away the layers with the result that witnesses will enter the witness box better prepared.”
The app explains various courts and their layouts, gives tips on presentation, keeping calm and a list of tribunal do’s & don’ts. It also features an extensive chapter on cross-examination, revealing many of the ‘tricks’ that barristers use during questioning.
“Going to court is not like it is seen in American TV dramas, it’s more like the Oscar Pistorius trial where, it seems to me, the witnesses were properly prepared,” says Trevor. “Pocket Witness is designed to meet the social needs of today and gives fingertip access to a wide range of information that will help the witness give good, clear evidence.”
Pocket Witness is available through the Apple app store and Google Play and priced at £2.99. It is the first public app to focus on giving evidence in the UK.
