Information for Attorneys: Three Engagement Pathways
At Dr. Long & Associates, we understand that navigating complex legal matters requires more than just psychological data; it demands strategic insight and unwavering procedural integrity. Our services are structured into three distinct engagement pathways, each designed with clear boundaries and objectives to provide the precise support your case requires while protecting legal strategy and ensuring admissibility.
This framework allows our partners to select the exact role they need—a confidential strategist, an independent witness, or a court-appointed neutral—with full confidence in the process that will follow.
Note: If you’re referring an immigration matter, our Immigration Evaluation – Service Summary includes a dedicated referral portal specifically for attorneys.
Pathway 1: The Strategic Consultant
. 👉Pathway One Referral Form
Why Non-Testifying Consultation?
When you designate a rebuttal expert against a court-appointed evaluator, you're not just asking the court to choose between two hired experts—you're asking the court to reject its own expert in favor of yours. Court-appointed evaluators are seen as extensions of the court itself: neutral, objective, and presumptively credible. Research consistently shows courts defer to their own appointed evaluators 70-80% of the time. Your rebuttal expert—regardless of qualifications—starts with an insurmountable credibility deficit.
The more effective strategy: Don't argue the diagnosis. Argue methodology.
We help you impeach experts through their own professional standards using admissible learned treatises (FRE 803(18) and state equivalents—for example, North Carolina G.S. 8C-803(18)). Once an expert acknowledges APA Guidelines or AAFS Standards are authoritative, they're bound by them. Guideline violations become objective facts the court can evaluate without needing to choose between competing opinions.
The consulting advantage: A non-testifying consultant can provide far broader analysis than a rebuttal expert constrained to specific testimony. We offer candid assessment of all case aspects—including weaknesses in your own position—comprehensive strategic guidance, and trial preparation support without the limitations or discovery exposure of expert designation.
Why This Service Exists
There is no scientific consensus on the correct methodology for evaluating parental capacity. Unlike other forensic assessment contexts—such as violence risk or sexual offender evaluation—there are no validated Structured Professional Judgment (SPJ) tools for custody decisions.
While some evidence-based assessment protocols and professional guidelines do exist, they are inconsistently applied. Many evaluators rely heavily on clinical judgment without systematic data collection or structured decision-making frameworks. The result is significant variability in testing protocols, data interpretation, and the weight assigned to conflicting evidence.
This consultation exists as a quality control mechanism—not to discredit every evaluator, but to ensure rigorous methodology and adherence to available professional standards in a field where subjective opinion can have life-altering consequences for children and families.
What You Receive
Phase 1: Strategic Analysis Report — $3,500 Flat Fee
Comprehensive analysis of the expert's methodology including:
Professional guideline violations with learned treatise citations
Methodological weaknesses and evidentiary gaps
Contradictions between collateral sources and conclusions
Alternative hypotheses the expert failed to consider
Multiple lines of cross-examination organized by theme
Scripted question sequences with proper foundations
Anticipated defenses and recommended counters
Phase 2: Ongoing Consultation — $300/Hour
Optional trial preparation support, including deposition prep, real-time trial consultation, and strategy refinement.
Professional Role Definition
This is an exclusively non-testifying role. Once retained as a consultant under this pathway, Dr. Long will not be designated as a testifying witness in the same matter.
Pathway 2: independent expert witness services
👉 Complete Pathway 2 Referral Form
This pathway is for cases where expert testimony is, or may become, necessary. We preserve the integrity of the expert opinion while maintaining independence from your litigation strategy. All initial work is conducted under attorney work-product protection, giving you the opportunity to receive our findings before deciding whether to designate us as your testifying expert.
Two Service Tracks (Click + To Expand Description)
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Comprehensive psychological evaluation including record review, clinical interview, and psychological testing
Stage 1: Protected Evaluation & Verbal Findings — $3,500 Flat Fee
We complete the entire forensic evaluation under work-product protection:
Review of all relevant records and documents
Structured clinical interview(s) with your client
Administration of psychometrically validated testing
Collateral interviews as appropriate
Deliverable: Verbal report of findings provided exclusively to you. No written documentation generated. You decide whether to designate us as your expert.
Stage 2: Written Report & Testimony Preparation — $2,000 Flat Fee
Upon your written designation, we prepare a comprehensive forensic report compliant with FRCP 26 (or state equivalent). The report is court-ready and suitable for submission as a standalone document.
Deposition preparation and testimony are billed at $300/hour under a separate hourly agreement.
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Independent analysis of an opposing expert's report, methodology, and conclusions
Stage 1: Protected Analysis & Verbal Findings — $3,500 Flat Fee
We conduct a comprehensive critique under work-product protection:
Review of the opposing expert's report, data, and methodology
Analysis against applicable professional standards and best practices
Identification of methodological weaknesses, unsupported conclusions, or deviations from accepted practice
Deliverable: Verbal critique provided exclusively to you. No written documentation generated. You decide whether to designate us for testimony.
Stage 2: Designation & Testimony Preparation — $300/Hour
Upon designation as a rebuttal expert, we shift to hourly billing for:
Deposition preparation
Trial preparation and consultation
Deposition testimony
Trial testimony
No separate written report is generated. Rebuttal experts are typically designated via a single court filing identifying the topics and opinions we're prepared to address.
How It Works
Complete the referral form at the link below with your referral question and case documents
We review and respond within 24 hours — either accepting the engagement or requesting clarification
Upon our acceptance, the form becomes our binding agreement and Stage 1 begins immediately
All Stage 1 work is protected under attorney work-product privilege
You receive verbal findings and decide whether to designate us for testimony
If you designate us, Stage 2 commences per the track-specific structure above
No consultation occurs until the referral form is completed.
Pathway 3: The Court-Appointed Evaluator
(Court-Ordered or Stipulated Agreement) 👉Pathway Three Referral Form
This is our most straightforward pathway, used when Dr. Long is appointed directly by the court or retained as a single, neutral expert by agreement of all parties (stipulation).
Best Suited For:
Court-ordered mental health or competency evaluations.
Custody or parental fitness evaluations where the court requires a single, neutral expert.
Any scenario where the expert's primary duty is to the court or to provide objective findings to all parties simultaneously.
Core Function: To serve as an agent of the court, conducting an objective evaluation and providing findings to the trier of fact or all parties as directed by court order.
Key Characteristics:
No Confidentiality: There is no attorney-client or work-product privilege with any single party. Communications are transparent and the final report is typically provided to the court and all litigants.
Unwavering Neutrality: The engagement is defined by complete objectivity and adherence to the scope of the court's order.
Direct Process: The process follows a clear path: receipt of the court order, collection of records, evaluation of the subject, and submission of the final report.
Pathways at a Glance: A Comparison Table
| Feature | Pathway 1: Strategic Consultant | Pathway 2: Independent Expert Witness | Pathway 3: Court-Appointed Neutral |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Function | Confidential "thought partner" to the legal team. | Objective, "arm's-length" expert for potential testimony. | Agent of the court providing findings to all parties. |
| Primary Goal | Strengthen legal strategy. | Form a defensible expert opinion. | Fulfill a court order with objectivity. |
| Privilege | Permanent Work-Product. Intended to never be disclosed. | Conditional. Protected until expert designation, then discoverable. | None. All work is transparent and provided to the court/parties. |
| Best For When... | You need to develop strategy or assess case merits behind the scenes. | You need a potential testifying expert for an evaluation, rebuttal, or research review. | The court orders an evaluation or all parties agree to a single, neutral expert. |
| Deliverable | Internal memos, strategic advice, psycho-legal analysis for counsel's eyes only. | Stage 1: Verbal report to counsel. Stage 2: Formal written report for discovery. |
Formal written report filed with the court and served to all parties. |
| Get Started | Initiate Consultation | Initiate as Expert | Initiate as Neutral |
Pathway 1: Strategic Consultant
Pathway 2: Independent Expert Witness
Stage 2: Formal written report for discovery.