OUR SERVICES

Expert Psychological Reports For Legal Proceedings

Each report is prepared in accordance with the relevant procedure rules and practice directions, and tailored to the specific requirements of your instruction

Criminal Proceedings

  • We have extensive expertise in the assessment of violence and sexual risk. Our associates are trained in the application of a range of structured professional judgement tools, including:

    ·       HCR-20 and FAM – for the assessment of general violence

    ·       SARA – for intimate partner violence

    ·       RSVP – for sexual violence

    ·       MLG – for group based offending

    ·       SAVRY – Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth

    ·       J-SOAP – Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol

    These tools are used to support evidence-based opinions on risk, protective factors, and areas for intervention.

  • We provide pre-sentence and pre-trial reports built on an understanding of the individual's history, drawing clear, well-evidenced links between background and behaviour, giving the court a credible basis for decision making.

  • We have expertise in the assessment of neurodevelopmental and learning difficulties. Our team are experienced in evaluating individuals for autism spectrum conditions and learning disabilities, using standardised tools such as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). Our approach focuses on understanding each individual’s strengths and challenges, providing clear and comprehensive assessments that help inform support, intervention, and decision-making.

  • Our associates have expertise in the assessment of young people within the criminal justice system. The team are experienced in evaluating developmental maturity, risk and welfare needs, using standardised tools such as the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and the Juvenile Sex Offender Assessment Protocol. Our approach is developmentally and trauma-informed, recognising the high prevalence of adverse childhood experiences, communication needs, and neurodevelopmental difficulties among young people in the justice system, providing clear and comprehensive assessments that support fair, proportionate outcomes.

  • Our team have extensive experience in the assessment and management of complex cases. We provide reports which focus on developing a clear and balanced understanding of each individual and the factors contributing to their presentation. We are skilled in formulating cases that involve overlapping mental health needs, trauma histories, and risk-related behaviours, ensuring that recommendations are evidence-based and sensitive to each person’s circumstances.

    Our associates are experienced in the assessment of personality disorder using the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE), and in the assessment of psychopathy using the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R).

Personal Injury and Clinical Negligence

  • We have expertise in the assessment of psychological injury arising from road traffic accidents, workplace accidents, and assaults. Our team are experienced in evaluating conditions such as PTSD, adjustment disorder, anxiety and depression, with a particular focus on establishing clear causation between the incident and the psychological harm sustained. Our approach focuses on providing well-evidenced analysis of prognosis and treatment need, giving legal teams a robust foundation for case valuation and settlement.

  • We have expertise in the assessment of psychological harm arising from negligent medical treatment or care, including birth trauma and postnatal PTSD. Our team are experienced in evaluating the psychological impact of clinical negligence alongside any physical injury, considering both pre-existing vulnerability and the specific contribution of the negligent care to the harm sustained. Our approach focuses on providing clear, well-evidenced analysis of causation and prognosis, supporting robust case strategy.

  • We have expertise in the assessment of psychological injury for victims of violent crime pursuing claims through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. Our team draw on extensive forensic and trauma-focused experience to evaluate PTSD and related psychological harm arising from the index offence. Our approach focuses on providing clear, well-evidenced reports to support CICA applications, helping achieve a fair and proportionate outcome for the claimant.

  • We have expertise in the assessment of psychiatric injury in secondary victims; individuals who have suffered psychological harm as a result of witnessing a traumatic event, or its immediate aftermath, involving a close family member. Our team are experienced in evaluating conditions such as PTSD and complicated grief, with careful attention to the legal tests of proximity and foreseeability that apply to these claims. Our approach focuses on providing clear, well-evidenced analysis that supports robust case strategy in this legally complex area.

Family Proceedings

  • We assess parental capacity and risk of harm at all stages of the child protection process, evaluating a parent's protectiveness and their capacity to make and sustain meaningful change. Our assessments explore the factors contributing to parenting difficulties including mental health, personality, and substance use, developing a comprehensive formulation of the patterns and cycles of difficulty within families, and how these may be linked to a parent's own early experiences. This provides a clear, balanced understanding that supports informed decision-making in the best interests of the child.

Prison Law

  • Following a full risk assessment, we can provide a comprehensive psychological formulation to understand an individual's difficulties within their broader context, including where a case involves recall to custody. This process helps to clarify areas of risk, inform effective risk management strategies, and identify appropriate pathways for treatment and progression.

  • We provide progression and category review reports that assess an individual's engagement with their sentence plan and the changes they have made during custody. These assessments consider treatment progress, insight into risk, and behaviour within the custodial environment, helping to inform decisions on category downgrade, open conditions, and readiness to progress.

  • We hold a specialist interest in working with individuals serving indeterminate and life sentences, particularly those held beyond tariff. Our assessments consider the psychological impact of prolonged detention alongside an individual's progress, needs, and risk, supporting a clear and realistic understanding of the pathway towards further progression.

Capacity Assessments

  • We have expertise in the assessment of mental capacity across a range of legal contexts. Our team are experienced in evaluating capacity to conduct litigation or instruct a solicitor, testamentary capacity, capacity to manage property and financial affairs, and capacity to make specific welfare decisions, applying the framework set out in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Our approach focuses on providing clear, well-evidenced assessments of an individual's ability to understand, retain, weigh and communicate a decision, supporting legal teams across criminal, family, and civil proceedings.

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