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Psychiatrists for civil, family, criminal and tribunal cases.
Get a psychiatric report on diagnosis, causation, prognosis, capacity or risk, from a psychiatrist whose expertise is appropriate to your client and the issues in the case. Tell us the question and your deadline. We take legally aided cases, and the search is free.
Which psychiatrist for which question.
Psychiatry has a number of subspecialties, and the expert’s subspecialty should match the client’s age and the clinical issues. Tell us your client’s age and situation, and we find psychiatrists in that subspecialty.
Across all ages
- Forensic psychiatryOffending, risk, secure care and the psychiatric defences
- Psychiatry of intellectual disabilityCapacity, vulnerability and taking part in proceedings
How it works.
Send the question once. We find the psychiatrists who can answer it by your deadline.
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1
Tell us the question
Diagnosis, causation, prognosis, capacity or risk. Add your client’s age, where they live and your deadline.
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2
Compare psychiatrists
You get each psychiatrist’s CV, fee and availability, and nothing is agreed until you instruct. We check experts for registration and insurance.
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3
Assessment and report
A named case manager arranges the appointment and manages the instruction through to delivery of the report. The psychiatrist sees your client in person, or by video where remote assessment is clinically appropriate for the issues to be addressed.
1 to 2 weeks, urgent 2 to 3 days (estimates)
Conditions psychiatric experts report on.
The list uses the current WHO classification, ICD-11. NHS hospital records across the UK are still coded in ICD-10, so a report may give both.
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Complex post-traumatic stress disorder
- Adjustment disorder
- Depressive disorders
- Bipolar or related disorders
- Anxiety or fear-related disorders, including agoraphobia and specific phobia
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Hoarding disorder
- Personality disorder, graded by severity
- Schizophrenia
- Schizoaffective disorder
- Dementia
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Autism spectrum disorder
- Feeding or eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa
- Disorders due to substance use, including alcohol dependence
The list is not exhaustive. If your client’s condition is not on it, describe it in the enquiry.
What psychiatric evidence answers.
- Personal injuryDid the accident or assault cause a psychiatric injury? What is the prognosis, and what treatment would help?
- Family and care proceedingsHow does a parent’s mental health affect their care of the child? The court’s permission comes before the assessment, but preliminary enquiries need none, so send us the case now without the family’s names.
- CriminalCan the defendant take part in the trial, what was their mental state at the time, and what disposal fits? See forensic psychiatry.
- Parole Board and prison lawIs there a mental disorder, what does it mean for risk, and is treatment or transfer to hospital needed?
- Employment lawHow does the condition affect day-to-day activities, how long is it likely to last, and is your client fit for work? The answers go to disability under the Equality Act 2010, or in Northern Ireland the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
- Immigration and asylumDoes the appellant have PTSD or depression, and what is the risk of suicide or deterioration if they are removed?
- Historical abuseDid the abuse cause a psychiatric injury, what is the prognosis, and is there a medical reason for the delay in bringing the claim?
- Wills and probateDid the testator have capacity to make the will, judged from the records after death?
- Mental capacityDoes your client have capacity to conduct the proceedings, or need a litigation friend?
- Clinical negligenceDid psychiatric care fall below the standard expected, and what difference would proper care have made?
The rules the report must meet.
Whoever instructs and pays them, the expert’s duty is to the court. The procedure around that duty differs across the UK.
England and Wales
- Civil claims: no party may call an expert or put in evidence an expert’s report without the court’s permission (CPR 35.4(1)).
- Children proceedings: the court’s permission comes before a child is psychiatrically assessed for a report (Children and Families Act 2014, s13(3)); from 20 July 2026, new cases need a regulated expert unless an exception applies (FPR 25.5A). See family and care proceedings.
- Regulated: a psychiatrist on the GMC register is regulated by a UK statutory body (FPR 25.2(1)).
- Criminal cases: the expert’s duty to the court overrides any obligation to whoever instructs or pays them (CrimPR 19.2).
Scotland
- The psychiatrist gives evidence as a skilled witness.
- To be admissible, the evidence must be necessary for the proper resolution of the matter at issue (Jury Manual, Judicial Institute for Scotland).
- Adults’ capacity for welfare, financial and medical treatment decisions falls under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000; testamentary capacity is decided under case law, not that Act.
Northern Ireland
- Its own courts and rules of court apply, with the PPS prosecuting criminal cases.
- The Mental Capacity Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 is only partly in force.
- Tell us the court, and the report is written to its rules.
What the report will cover.
In civil claims Practice Direction 35, para 3.2, sets out what an expert report must contain. A psychiatric report usually follows this shape whichever court it is for.
Family and criminal reports follow FPR Practice Direction 25B, para 9.1, and CrimPR 19.4, which set out similar requirements.
How instructing through us works- 1Qualifications and instructionsWho the psychiatrist is, the questions they were asked and the material facts.
- 2Records and literatureThe medical records and case papers read, and any literature relied on.
- 3History and examinationYour client’s account and the psychiatrist’s mental state examination.
- 4DiagnosisUsing a recognised classification, ICD-11 or DSM-5-TR.
- 5Opinion on each questionWith reasons, and the range of opinion where experts could differ.
- 6Summary and declarationThe conclusions, the statement of truth and the declaration of the duty to the court.
Psychiatrists and psychologists.
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor. They diagnose mental disorders, comment on medication and medical treatment, and give opinions on capacity and risk.
A psychologist is not medically qualified. They carry out psychological and cognitive testing, and a psychologist’s report can be used with a psychiatrist’s. One expert is often enough: tell us the question, and we will suggest which fits.
For testing and therapy-based questions, a psychologist may fit better. Put the question in the enquiry either way.
Questions about psychiatric evidence.
For anything else about your case, call us.
Call 0121 752 6061Do I need a consultant psychiatrist?
Usually, yes. Solicitors generally instruct a consultant for court work, and each CV gives the psychiatrist’s post and the age group they work with.
Can a psychiatrist assess ADHD or autism for court?
Yes. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder are diagnosed by psychiatrists, among other clinicians. Tell us your client’s age: a child and adolescent psychiatrist assesses under-18s.
How long does the report take?
Reports usually take 1 to 2 weeks, or 2 to 3 days when urgent. Timescales are estimates and depend on expert availability, the appointment and receipt of the relevant records.
Can the assessment take place by video?
Yes, where the psychiatrist agrees video suits the question. Some assessments, such as capacity or risk, may need to be in person. Tell us if your client cannot travel.
Do you have psychiatrists for cases in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Tell us the court. In Scotland the psychiatrist gives evidence as a skilled witness, and Northern Ireland has its own rules of court.
What will the psychiatrist need from us?
Once you have chosen: the letter of instruction, the medical records and the key documents, not before. For the enquiry, the five details listed with the form below are enough.
Do you take legally aided cases?
Yes: the quotes come within the legal aid rates, and where the case justifies a higher rate the quote sets out why, ready for prior authority (in Scotland, prior approval). See fees and legal aid.
Send the case. We find the experts.
- The type of caseFamily, personal injury, criminal, immigration, employment…
- The specialty, or the issuesIf you are not sure who you need, describe the medical questions
- The court or tribunalAnd any directions already made about expert evidence
- Your deadlineHearing, filing or limitation date
- How the case is fundedLegal aid, private, CFA or insurer
Send a case enquiry, obtain CVs and quotes in minutes
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Urgent case?0121 752 6061info@
You can also call us on 0121 752 6061.
Tell us your deadline, and we find a psychiatrist who can meet it.
You get the CVs and fees of those who can.