We have considerable experience in the following areas of clinical reporting to the courts and tribunals.
Child & Family Law
We offer full assessment for the courts on all aspects of family matters: family dynamics, intra-familial bonding/attachment, inter-sibling relationships (and effects of separation for instance), parenting capacity, personality and mental illness factors bearing on family matters, risk related matters (drugs, alcohol, violence etc.). We offer opinion on aspects and potential impact of families remaining in situ, separation, fostering and adoption. We however, limit our assessing of children, to the age group of 5 years and upwards. We believe that the clinical assessment of children younger than school going age, constitutes specialist assessment outside of our expertise, with the exception of suspected Autistic Spectrum Conditions, which we offer across the age and intellectual range.
Our approach is integrative (clinical & psychometric) and where appropriate consultative with other professionals/agencies involved in proceedings.
Criminal Law
We have had many years experience in the assessment of defendants in criminal matters. We have experience as experts having been instructed by both Prosecution and Defence teams. Besides formal court assessment, our expertise derives also from formal employment in special hospitals and prison settings where we have served as consultants and clinicians across the risk, treatment and consultative ranges. We thus have experience with the general criminal population and with sex and violent offenders, with and without diagnosed mental disorders.
Personal Injury
We have assessed claims arising from motor vehicle and industrial site accidents as well as those deriving from more benign domestic-related accidents. Our experience in this area is closely inter-related to our neuro-psychology services in conjunction with assessment for malingering, acute trauma related injuries as well as longer term adjustment difficulties.
Professional Negligence/Fitness to Practice Matters
We have experience of assessing professional clients and appearing before the GMC and GDC on various professional negligence or fitness to practice matters. Issues involved have included risk to patients owing to mental illness, personality maladjustment, substance related issues, Asperger Syndrome, stress related factors etc. We also have experience of appearing as independent experts with respect to professional/institutional negligence claims arising in NHS contexts.
Labour Law
Owing to the range of our assessment expertise and experience especially in the private sector, we have appeared in a number of employment tribunal hearings. Issues have included unfair dismissal, fitness for work, intra company personnel disputes with associated litigation such as bullying and harassment, and a variety of concerns associated with Asperger Syndrome in the work place.
Asperger Syndrome and Autistic Spectrum Conditions
We have extensive expertise in conducting specialist clinical assessments and providing reports for the purposes of the courts. Assessments may pertain to a range of legal fields including Family Law, Employment Law, Personal Injury and Criminal Law. Whilst we are frequently jointly instructed by all parties in proceedings, we also accept instructions in matters where we are required to prepare expert reports for the Defence or the Prosecution. We have regularly been required to attend tribunals, professionals’ meetings or present evidence in court. Work is undertaken on formal instruction and acceptance of terms and conditions.
Specific areas frequently addressed:
Confirmation of ASC and if so:
- the likely impact on parenting capacity
- the likely impact on capacity to carry out employment role
- reasonable adjustments to be made in the workplace
- the likely impact on future employment prospects
- the likely impact on outcome, given additional head injury
- the likely impact on Fitness to Plead
- possible role of mitigating factors in committing the crime
- the likely impact of custodial sentence given the condition