Attorney and forensic psychologist Dr. Alex Yufik provides insight into utilizing a forensic psychologist in your legal practice for trial consultation or as an expert witness. The main topics addressed by Dr. Yufik include the definition of forensic psychology, selecting an expert, hiring the best expert for your case, expert witness vs. trial consultant, the forensic evaluation, the forensic psychologist’s role in civil cases, the forensic psychologist’s role in criminal cases, risk assessments and good & bad experts. Further topics discussed include standards of admissibility, checking your expert’s qualifications, training & qualifications of psychologists, board certification, answering the referral question, never relying solely on evidence from the client, psychological tests, personal injury cases, legal competency, emotional distress, criminal competencies, criminal mitigation, the insanity defense, malingering & deception, and the “awful” expert list.
Dr. Alex Yufik is a Board Certified Forensic Psychologist and a licensed attorney. He obtained his law degree from Villanova University School of Law and his doctorate in clinical psychology from George Washington University in D.C. Dr. Yufik is employed by the State Bar of California as a Case Management Supervisor at the Lawyers Assistance Program, where he supervises other clinicians in the program and conducts evaluations of attorneys who require monitored recovery and treatment for substance abuse and/or mental illness. He also assists the State Bar Court and Office of Chief Trial Counsel regarding attorneys who face disciplinary proceedings and have mental health problems. In his private practice, Dr. Yufik sees patients, conducts forensic evaluations in criminal and civil cases such as, competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, sex offender evaluations, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and psychological injury.
Practice Areas: Criminal Law | Litigation | Personal Injury | Immigration Law
State Accreditations: California (CA)