Litigation Consultation
Litigation consultation as a forensic psychologist involves providing expert assistance and guidance to legal professionals during various stages of legal proceedings. This specialized role focuses on applying psychological expertise to support attorneys in understanding and addressing psychological aspects related to their cases. Essentially, a forensic psychologist acting as a litigation consultant contributes in several critical areas, including case theory development, witness preparation, jury selection, and overall trial strategy. Litigation consultation involves applying psychological knowledge and skills to enhance the legal team’s strategic approach, ensuring that psychological dimensions are fully understood and effectively addressed during litigation. This work ultimately contributes to more informed decision-making and robust representation in court.
In the development of case theories, litigation consultants help attorneys by analyzing psychological evidence and issues pertinent to the case. This may involve evaluating the mental state of a defendant or plaintiff, understanding the cognitive and emotional processes that might impact testimonies, or assessing the potential behaviors and motivations of individuals involved. For instance, they can provide insights into the reliability of eyewitness testimonies, factors influencing memory accuracy, or the psychological impact of a crime on victims.
Forensic psychologists as litigation consultants play a supportive role in witness preparation. They assist attorneys in preparing witnesses, including experts and laypersons, by helping them understand how to effectively communicate complex psychological findings and remain composed under cross-examination. Consultants may also contribute during the jury selection process, offering expertise on psychological profiling to help identify jurors who may be more receptive or sympathetic to a particular argument or aspect of the case.
The litigation consultant’s communications with the retaining attorney are generally protected from discovery and admission into evidence at trial by the attorney work product doctrine unless the consultant is designated as a witness at trial. A mental health litigation consultant can support the lawyer in case analysis and evaluation through:
- Review of forensic evaluation reports prepared by other evaluators regarding evaluation methodology, adherence to generally accepted guidelines, practice parameters, and standards regarding forensic assessment, selection of assessment instruments, interpretive accuracy of psychological test data, and the degree to which offered opinions are or are not supported by relevant research and the data gathered in the forensic evaluation.
- Critical review of the CVs, work product, and expert opinions offered by other mental health professionals
- Assist with the development of direct and cross-examination questions and strategy for favorable and opposing mental health experts
- Assist with trial strategy regarding psychological elements
- Review scientific research related to case-specific elements requiring specialized knowledge

Diagnostic Clarification and Treatment Planning
Psychological assessment can help guide the direction of therapy and provide focus for goal setting and treatment planning. Evaluations can involve tests that measure intelligence, achievement, cognitive functioning, and sometimes motor functioning. Although each test offers its own special type of information, together the test battery gives a full picture of a person’s functioning. The choice of tests used depends upon the question to be answered.
Achievement and Learning
Assessments of achievement and learning serve as a vital tools in identifying and understanding the needs and strength of individual students. Evaluations can be requested by parents, teachers and other school personnel to help promote effective learning and education development. Assessments and written reports offer a clear layout of individual strengths, areas of growth, and needs along with recommendations to help develop appropriate curriculum, educational planning and behavioral modifications.
What is forensic psychology?
RpkAdmin2023-09-01T21:38:04+00:00What is a forensic evaluation?
RpkAdmin2023-09-01T21:38:19+00:00Why are forensic evaluations a valuable resource for the criminal justice system?
RpkAdmin2023-09-01T21:39:41+00:00Assessing risk for violence can help courts make appropriate decisions on issues such as sentencing, granting privileges, and community reintegration. If an individual is assessed to be a high risk for future violence, a judge has grounds to order a more restrictive setting compared to someone who is a lower risk for recidivism. By tailoring court decisions based on accurate psychological evaluations, the community is safer while the defendant’s rights are also protected.How can RPK Forensic Psych Services help?
RpkAdmin2023-09-01T21:40:40+00:00- History of Trauma (sexual/physical/emotional abuse and/or general neglect)
- History of Learning Difficulties
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Memory Impairment
- Intellectual Difficulties
- Attention/Concentration Impairment
- Mental Health History
- Current Emotional Distress