John Bryant has worked for more than thirty years in large-scale industry, in the City and as a consultant in corporate planning and strategy, human resources recruitment & planning, financial analysis of accounts, investment appraisal, marketing and economic analysis, and as an expert witness in employment. He is a Fellow of The Expert Witness Institute, the highest expert level that an expert can attain.
He obtained an honours degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Bath, and a masters degree in management studies at the University of Bradford Business School covering employment law, human resources organisation, financial/accounting analysis and other management topics. His industrial training with W H Allen, now a subsidiary of Rolls Royce, involved periods in a variety of functions from working on the shop floor in foundry-work, machining, fitting and fabrication to research and drawing office work. Literally hands-on experience.
Companies that he has worked for as an employee include SKF and Babcock International. This experience has included working in a personnel department on recruitment of clerical and shop floor staff, being functionally responsible for departments undertaking manpower planning for a division of 10,000 employees, and conducting detailed job specification studies designed to facilitate the merger of corporations with different approaches to manufacturing. He has co-ordinated management and union representations to government departments on employment matters. As a manager he has reported to chief executives and financial directors on corporate planning covering the complete range of functions in a corporation including human resources planning, financial appraisal of subsidiaries, market research and acquisitions and divestment work. As group economist for Babcock International he was responsible for global economic and market forecasting, including forecasting variables such as unemployment, wage rates and inflation. He has also worked for a short period as an economist and investment analyst for a UK stockbroking firm doing similar forecasting work. He has acted as an adviser to a member of the Select Committee for the Treasury and Civil Service.
As a consultant he has operated in the fields of business strategy, financial and profit analysis of small and large companies and employment, market research and economic analysis.
Since 1995 he has held a duty to the Court or Industrial Tribunals as an expert witness in employment, on the single or joint instructions of solicitors acting for the Claimant and/or solicitors acting for the Defendant, in cases of personal injury, clinical negligence, employment disputes, miscarriage of justice or professional negligence. He has acted as an expert witness in assessment of loss of profits. Work has included extensive research overseas including USA, Australia & New Zealand, European countries such as Germany, Italy and Eire, and Middle Eastern countries.
He appears in the expert witness registers of Sweet & Maxwell and of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers. He has completed training as a single joint expert (Bond/Solon May 1999). Historically his instructions have been split 48% Claimant / 52% Defendant, and about 30% of the instructions he receives now are on a joint instruction basis. His instructions have involved many high value cases covering a wide variety of medical conditions, concerning the very young to older age groups.
The following is a list of some of our clients in respect of employment expert witness work:
Abensons, Alsters Kelly, Austins, Badhams Thompson, Bannister Preston, Barlow Lyde, & Gilbert, Beardsells, Berrymans Lace Mawer, Blake Lapthorn, BPE, Browne Jacobson, BT Legal, Carey Olsen, Carters, Colman Doyle, Collier Little, DAC Beachcroft, DLA Piper LLP, Evill & Colman, Everatt, Eversheds, Fancy & Jackson, Foot Anstey LLP, Gill Akaster, Gotelee & Goldsmith, Greenwoods, Hatch Brenner, Henmans, Hill Dickinson, Horwich Farrelly, Howe Roche & Waller, Irwin Mitchell, John A Neil, JMW, Kennedys Law LLP, Kenneth Elliott & Rowe, Keoghs, Kidd Rapinet, Knowles Benning, Lamb & Holmes, Lamport Bassitt, Lawson West, Levenes, LFCDA, Lyons Davidson, Machins, Mellows, Mills & Reeve, Morgan Jones Pett, MWR LLP, Nelsons, Nichols Henstock Stevenson, NHSLA, Norfolk County Council, Norwich Union, Oldhams, Penningtons, Pictons, Pinto Potts LLP, Plexus law, Police, Reilly Cassidy & Co, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain, Ricksons, Robin Simon LLP, Rowley Ashworth, Russell Jones & Walker, Shakespeare Putsman, Sheltons, Stuart Jones & Co, Slater Heelis Collier Littler, Slee Blackwell, SLS Crawford, Stanley Tee LLP, Steele Raymond LLP, Stephens & Son, Stephensons Harwood, Stone King Sewell, TR Haris Arnold, Thompson Smith & Puxon, Thompsons, Underwoods, Powells, Vizards Wyeth, Watmores, Weightmans, Wilson Browne, Windsor Bronzite, Withy King, Woodfines.
In support of our employment expert witness business we carry out pro bono research on topical employment issues. We make these reports freely available to our clients. Examples of these reports include the following (PDFs for some can be downloaded by clicking on the title):
Over the years we have provided employment reports for literally several hundred types of occupation, right across the range; including managerial, professional, semi professional, clerical and manual occupations.
Some of the more unusual cases include managing director, personnel director, fire brigade commander, wing commander, singer, photographer, army intelligence officer, close protection officer, foreign exchange dealer, meals on wheels person, on course race representative, artist blacksmith, mathematician, chief engineer, export clerk, seafarer, fairground attendant, yacht skipper and tunnel miner.
We deal with employed and self-employed persons, and directors and owners of private and public companies. We can carry out financial investigations and access Companies House records to cross check statements on earnings and employment.
In cases of young people affected at an early age by catastrophic physical or brain injury, or by injury at birth such as cerebral palsy, we are experienced at preparing family profiles in the absence of pre-injury attributes.