Getting Started With Neuropsych Forensic/Legal Work

[molofish]

I'm an early career psychologist (about one year post-licensure) with extensive training in neuropsych assessment (completed neuro track internship, neuro postdoc, etc.). I'm interested in seeing occasional legal/forensic cases to see whether this is something I'd like to pursue more extensively as I continue in my career, and I work at a practice where I can receive supervision from more experienced professionals for such cases. Despite this, I have also heard horror stories on this board and from past supervisors about neuropsychologists who jumped too quickly from the clinical into the forensic world, in some cases getting skewered or otherwise made to look incompetent by lawyers in court. I would like to avoid pivoting too quickly and risking my reputation in this area should I want to pursue it more in the future.

For those neuropsychologists on here who do a lot of legal work, are there types of cases/referrals you'd recommend that earlier career neuropsychs like myself focus on? Are there types of cases/referrals you'd specifically avoid at this stage?

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[BuckeyeLove]

Regardless of your area of specialty, if you're getting into that arena, and I don't care if it's tort or criminal, I would get as familiar as you can with Melton and FRE. You need to learn to eat, breathe, think, and sleep in a way that is effectively antithetical to how most are initially trained.

 

[PsyDr]

I wish I had your wisdom starting out.

I would highly recommend going to your local courthouse, and sitting in on whatever court cases you can. Bring a pen and pad of paper, write down terms you don’t recognize. Buy a copy of Blacks Law Dictionary. Look the terms you didn’t recognize. Read Meltons books. Learn FRE 702, Daubert, etc. maybe buy ABFP’s CD on key cases.

Once you understand how the legal system thinks, you can craft how to respond.

Plus no one understands how to evaluate work ability.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

All of the above.

I'd also add that each state has its own quirks, so being able to talk to others locals helps. I found sticking to a niche area allows me to really dig in and know the references in my sleep. I rarely take a forensic case that isn't acquired brain injury bc it is so much more work.

 

[texanpsychdoc]

CONCEPT Palo Alto has a great training on orienting and introducing people to the various FREs and case law that's pertinent to forensic practice. The course is presented by David DeMatteo, J.D., Ph.D., ABPP.

 

[psyguru]

Getting referrals is important. There is a lot one can do to grow an expert witness practice.