About the Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses Pledge (ERE)

The Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses (ERE) initiative was conceived in 2021. Its purpose is to bring and drive commitment to improve the visibility and representation of women as expert witnesses.

The ERE Pledge has been created to be a sister pledge to the Equal Representation in Arbitration Pledge (ERA), which has been highly effective since its inception in 2015, calling for – and seeing – an increased proportion of women appointed as arbitrators.

Developed with input from across dispute resolution, and on both sides of The Atlantic, the Pledge aims to encourage action and advocacy to:

• Increase, on an equal opportunity basis, the number of women appearing as experts in order to achieve proportional representation and, eventually, full parity.
• Support hiring, mentoring, and promoting women experts.
• Create a coalition of supporters and advocates in the world of dispute resolution.
• Encourage women to aspire to be expert witnesses in their chosen professions.
• Give women who are, or aspire to be, expert witnesses, better opportunities to achieve their goals.
• Widen the pool of expert witnesses available and enhance the reputation of expert witnesses.

The ERE Pledge seeks to address the challenges faced by women who work, or aspire to work, as expert witnesses in all forms of dispute resolution globally.

Let’s commit and drive change.

The ERE Pledge is a sister Pledge of the ERA (Equal Representation in Arbitration) Pledge.  You can read and sign the ERA Pledge here.

EWI as custodian of the Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses (ERE) Pledge

The Equal Representation for Expert Witnesses (ERE) Pledge has transferred from its founding host organisation (AlixPartners) to the custodianship of the Expert Witness Institute and has been subsumed into EWI activities. This will ensure that EWI are in a position to take payments, employ staff, and provide the support for the ERE Pledge and the ERE Executive Committee.

The ERE Executive Committee sits alongside the other EWI Committees but will retain the current set up and be led by co-chairs Kathryn Britten and Meredith Sellers. The ERE Global Steering Committee and Regional Networks will still report up to the ERE Executive Committee.

The ERE Executive Committee will continue to be responsible for all decisions relating to the strategy and operations of the ERE Pledge and will collaborate with EWI to ensure that the support provided by EWI is utilised efficiently and effectively.

The Expert Witness Institute

The Expert Witness Institute is the voice of the Expert Witness community; championing experts from all professional disciplines and the lawyers who use their services.

Our mission is to support the proper administration of justice and the early resolution of disputes through high-quality expert evidence from specialists.

Launched in 1996, the EWI is independent of outside commercial interests. A not-for-profit organisation limited by guarantee, it is run by a Board of Governors that is democratic, transparent and fully accountable to members.

For more information about our status as an organisation, please refer to our Articles of Association (2025).