"The credibility of a psychologist called upon to prepare a report for court as an expert witness will be questioned if the document presented is viewed as poor. The court will place little weight on the report and the psychologist's professional reputation will be placed at risk. Complaints against psychologists to registration boards, ethics committees and litigation proceedings are frequently the consequence of poor psychological reports." "This text examines relevant mental health state legislation relating to criminal, civil and family courts and then sets out a logical structure for writing reports for such matters. The use of psychological tests and their utility in providing useful objective data for courts is also examined. Three chapters are devoted to questions central to an expert offering an 'opinion' in court." "Featuring numerous case studies to illustrate the applicability of the information provided, this book serves as an excellent text for all psychologists considering a career in forensic work as well as any working psychologist who may find themselves in a court setting."--BOOK JACKET.

Tens of thousands of readers have relied on this leading text and practitioner reference--now revised and updated--to understand the issues the legal system most commonly asks mental health professionals to address. Highly readable, the volume demystifies the forensic psychological assessment process and provides guidelines for participating effectively and ethically in legal proceedings. Presented are clinical and legal concepts and evidence-based assessment procedures pertaining to criminal and civil competencies, the insanity defense and related doctrines, sentencing, civil commitment, personal injury claims, antidiscrimination laws, child custody, juvenile justice, and other justice-related areas. Case examples, exercises, and a glossary facilitate learning; 19 sample reports illustrate how to conduct and write up thorough, legally admissible evaluations. New to This Edition *Extensively revised to reflect important legal, empirical, and clinical developments. *Increased attention to medical and neuroscientific research. *New protocols relevant to competence, risk assessment, child custody, and mental injury evaluations. *Updates on insanity, sentencing, civil commitment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Social Security, juvenile and family law, and the admissibility of expert testimony. *Material on immigration law (including a sample report) and international law. *New and revised sample reports.

This book focuses on the psychologist’s role in assessing immigration cases and serving as an expert witness in these situations. It provides extensive background information on the history of immigration law in the U.S. and the legal precedents that establish professional qualifications for testifying in court, covering a range of forensic evaluations including spousal abuse, cognitive deficits, and hardship consequences of deportation. Additionally, the book offers practical strategies for: Writing a clinical report acceptable in court Preparing the required waivers for an accurate evaluation Qualifying as an expert witness Conducting Psychological Assessments for U.S. Immigration Cases is a useful guide for psychologists serving a critical role carrying out evaluations that determine an immigrant’s status and future in the country.

The Model Rules of Professional Conduct provides an up-to-date resource for information on legal ethics. Federal, state and local courts in all jurisdictions look to the Rules for guidance in solving lawyer malpractice cases, disciplinary actions, disqualification issues, sanctions questions and much more. In this volume, black-letter Rules of Professional Conduct are followed by numbered Comments that explain each Rule's purpose and provide suggestions for its practical application. The Rules will help you identify proper conduct in a variety of given situations, review those instances where discretionary action is possible, and define the nature of the relationship between you and your clients, colleagues and the courts.

Written by educators -- who understand and address the true needs and trepidations of readers -- this book offers a pedagogically sound introduction to court reporting that enables readers to write new material with little hesitation, throughout. Each lesson is divided into a theory presentation section and a drill and practice section. It incorporates realtime writing principles throughout (i.e., the technology that allows court reporters to write and have their notes translated by a computer in realtime); organizes realtime theory principles in distinct, easy-to-locate sections. Separates the realtime theory principles from the regular theory presentation -- enabling instructors to delay the introduction of realtime principles until readers are comfortable with writing the basic theory principles.