Business Valuation Expert Witness Fees UK

Hourly Rates

• General valuation expert: £250–£400/hour
• Senior partner level: £400–£600/hour
• Leading specialists (High Court, complex disputes): £600–£1,000+/hour
• SME / lower court specialists: £150–£300/hour

Report Costs

• Standard valuation report (straightforward SME): £3,000–£8,000
• Complex multi-method report (High Court quality): £8,000–£25,000+
• SJE report (shared cost): typically 50% of above per party
• Rebuttal report: £2,000–£8,000

Fee Structures

• Hourly billing (most common)
• Fixed fee for defined scope
• Retainer for ongoing disputes
• No contingency fee (prohibited for expert witnesses)
• Court permission required for family cases before fees incurred (FPR Part 25)

What Affects Cost

• Company size and complexity
• Number of years of accounts to review
• Whether multiple valuation methods are required
• Whether oral evidence is needed
• Whether rebuttal is required
• Sector complexity

Legal Aid

Business valuation expert witnesses are rarely instructed on Legal Aid given the commercial nature of the disputes involved.

Cost Recovery

In civil proceedings, the successful party may recover expert witness costs. In family proceedings, costs of expert evidence (especially SJE) may be shared.

Sources: Expert Evidence International; Academy of Experts; industry benchmarks. Indicative rates for 2025 - confirm fees with the instructed expert.