Following the goods, and the liability
A logistics dispute is usually a question of where: at which point in a multimodal chain did goods get lost, damaged or delayed, and which party carried the risk at that moment. The answer is rarely obvious from the pleadings. It lives in waybills, handover points, storage records and the contract terms that allocate responsibility. A logistics expert traces the goods through the chain and pinpoints where liability actually sits.
Freight, warehousing and carriage
Freight forwarding disputes turn on forwarder and carrier liability across modes and handover points. Warehousing claims examine storage, handling, inventory accuracy and the cause of loss. Carriage and Incoterms disputes turn on the trade terms that allocate risk and cost; the ICC Incoterms rules are central, and an expert can explain where risk passed and why.
Customs, compliance and disruption
Customs and trade-compliance disputes hinge on tariff classification, valuation, origin and duty, governed in the UK by HM Revenue and Customs. Supply-chain disruption claims, more common since recent global shocks, test whether a party met its obligations when a chain broke down: causation, mitigation, alternative sourcing and the reach of force-majeure provisions. Cold-chain failures add the question of whether temperature and handling were maintained throughout.
Instructing the right expert
The discipline matters: a freight expert and a customs expert are not interchangeable. Instruct early so the expert can review documentation before positions harden, and ensure they understand their duty to the court under CPR Part 35. Our guide on how to instruct an expert witness covers what to expect.