Over the past 30 years, Stephanie Erickson, LCSW, has developed expertise in objectively evaluating situations in which abuse or neglect allegations are made about a vulnerable person and presenting her findings to the court to demonstrate the relationship, if any, between the alleged abuse or neglect and the vulnerable person's ability to function. The vulnerable individuals with whom she has extensive experience include children, adults, and older adults, many of whom have a mental illness, physical illness, dementia, or a developmental disability. These evaluations often require assessment of not only the vulnerable individual, but also family dynamics, caregivers, and healthcare organizations, such as nursing homes, board & care homes, assisted care homes, or the child welfare system.

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July 1, 2024, is the deadline to comply with California Labor Code § 6401.9, stemming from SB 553. This new law requires law firms and other employers with locations accessible to the public or where 10 or more employees are present at once to take specific steps to prevent and respond to workplace violence, including a lengthy list of requirements for a workplace violence prevention plan, training, record keeping, and record retention. 

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Stephen P. Herman, MD, is board certified in pediatrics, adult psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and forensic psychiatry. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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Dr. Tafoya’s extensive experience is reflected in his previous positions:

• He was a Professor at the Henry Lee College of Criminal Justice of the University of New Haven, where he taught masters and doctoral level courses in intelligence studies, cybercrime investigation, and research methods from 2002-2019, retiring as Professor Emeritus.

• Since retiring, he has taught Digital Forensics, Cybercrime Investigation, and Research Methods at the University of South Florida.

• He served as an analyst in the Intelligence Unit of the Computer Sciences Corporation’s National Defense Group, prior to its merger with HP Enterprise.

• He served as Dean, Professor, and Director of the Information System Security & Education Center of the National Intellectual Property Law Institute.

• He served as a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1975-1995.

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Dr. April Gould is an expert on radicalization, extremism, and collective violence. This expertise derives from both her academic research and her personal experience interviewing and analyzing hard-to-reach and violent criminal populations. She is qualified to testify as an expert in cases in which individuals have been radicalized online or through group involvement and have acted on behalf of personal or collective grievances, and she would be effective in investigating, locating, and interviewing people who would prefer to remain off the grid.

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Three Common Errors Lawyers Make in Retaining Experts

Park Dietz, MD, MPH, PhD

Since 1996, when PD&A began operation as a formal group, lawyers have inquired about many thousands of new cases, both civil and criminal. I’ve spoken directly to all of those who didn’t already know which experts they wanted to retain. While most of these lawyers were sophisticated about the use of experts, a surprising number seemed naïve about how to evaluate the fit between expert and case, how to judge hourly rates, and when they should retain. I share here some of the common errors lawyers make in seeking experts.

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World-renowned forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Park Dietz, who has testified and consulted on well over 20 serial killers, shares details about Jeffrey Dahmer, a criminal defendant in whose trial he testified.

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Dr. Shawnté Alexander is a child welfare, investigations, and standard of care expert with a doctorate in Counseling Psychology. Dr. Alexander’s career and expertise span over 20 years working in sexual abuse prevention and response, child protection investigations, forensic interviewing, case management, and foster care.

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Dr. Heilbrun has been involved in personally conducting or supervising approximately 3,100 forensic evaluations at the request of courts, defense, and prosecution, and has testified as an expert approximately 310 times at the request of both the defense and the prosecution.

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Ray Mey’s extensive background in all aspects of physical security have proved invaluable to law firms representing plaintiffs and defendants in cases regarding event venues, commercial properties, and residential properties in civil actions alleging negligent security.

Commercial and residential properties such as event venues, apartment complexes, hotels, bars, restaurants, parking lots, hospitals, and other businesses owe a duty of care to their residents and patrons. Safety and security are critical elements of duty of care.

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Dr. Newman is an expert on suicide risk assessment, hospital safety issues, and psychiatric issues in criminal cases. As a fellowship-trained forensic psychiatrist, Dr. Newman has experience as an expert witness regarding a variety of issues involving suicide, including the emergency assessment of suicidal patients, inpatient management of suicidal patients (including issues related to ligature risks and safety precautions), inpatient suicides, the management of suicide risk in Dual Diagnosis treatment settings, and post-discharge suicides. His expertise includes other hospitalization issues with psychiatric patients, including diagnosis and treatment, seclusion and restraint issues, and elopement issues. Dr. Newman has both clinical and forensic experience in psychopharmacology, violence risk assessment, malingering, criminal and civil competencies, criminal responsibility, involuntary administration of medications (including Sell hearings), and conditional release assessments.

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Suicide is a tragedy, even more so in childhood. Childhood suicide can also feel uniquely puzzling. Why would a young person, with so many years of life ahead of them, want to end their life over seemingly minor problems? Although we can never fully know the mind of the deceased, a developmental approach can help us to understand some of the factors that distinguish adult and child suicide.

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Epidemiology Consultation

Many of our clients have communicated that they are following WHO and CDC recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for many these may be sufficient. 

As you may already have discovered, however, universal recommendations often omit the specifics you need for prudent decision-making as you encounter individualized risks and unique needs. This is especially true because the natural history of this disease and its transmission haven't yet been fully charted. 

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Dr. Sorrentino is a leading expert on sexual disorders (paraphilias).

An Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School, she serves as a Councilor on the executive governance committee of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, a member of the Editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Associate editor of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Newsletter, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.  

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Too many physicians and health care administrators labor under the illusion that the medical profession is immune to sex - and gender - based bullying, harassment, discrimination, and abuse.

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