Expert witness services

The Natural History Museum is able to deliver a range of scientific expert witnessing services to the legal community. Qualified experts can perform in situ investigations, laboratory examinations and information assessments in areas including:

• marine insurance

• protection and indemnity

• environmental impact assessment

• forensic entomology

• specimen identification

• due diligence

The scientists in the Natural History Museum earth and life sciences departments have both the scientific knowledge and the experience required to help the successful and efficient resolution of legal cases.

We can offer assistance in:

• fouling - the impact of marine growth on ships and other vessels

• groundings - the impact of vessels on coral reefs and other sensitive marine habitats

• estimation of minimum time since death in suspicious circumstances using forensic entomology

• identification of insects and other contaminant species in food, and determination of their provenance

• identification of global movement of forensic evidence from knowledge of the distribution of associated species, such as insects

• assessment of environmental damage or change by study of the fauna and flora of an area

• due diligence verification of mining operations

• international identifications and quality assurance service

• marine biofouling assessment

Find out more about our recent expert witness contracts.