Dr. Bob Jacobs is pleased to announce a new consultative service for family lawyers. Dr. Jacobs will perform a comprehensive review of a family report and provide in-depth assistance with interpretation and critique. Dr. Jacobs will also provide strategies for cross-examination of the family report writer as well as sample questions.
In addition to family reports, Dr. Jacobs will provide this service for other expert reports, including psychological, psychiatric and medical, and is also happy to work with Independent Children’s Lawyers.
Rationale
Despite significant variation in the quality of family reports, they are relied upon heavily and treated with great deference by family judges. In the absence of expert assistance, family lawyers are often unable to overcome an unfavourable family report. It is critically important that lawyers can expose any problems in the family report to assist the court in making the most appropriate order that is consistent with the best interests of the child(ren).
Unique Qualifications
Dr. Bob Jacobs is both a clinical psychologist and a lawyer, so he is uniquely situated to provide this service. Dr. Jacobs has over 25 years experience as a child psychologist and has been a children’s lawyer since 2003. He holds a doctorate in psychology as well as a juris doctor degree, and is admitted to the Bar in Florida (U.S.) and in New South Wales. He is also a Registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner.
In 2006 Dr. Jacobs wrote “Legal Strategies to Challenge Chemical Restraint of Children in Foster Care: A Resource for Child Advocates in Florida”. This manual, which includes a section on cross examination of psychiatric experts, has been used widely throughout the United States (adapted for the specific jurisdiction) including use by the Children’s Law Center in San Francisco and the National Association of Counsel for Children (NACC).
The Process
Referrals can be initiated by e-mail or phone at the above contacts, or by phoning Dr. Jacobs directly at 0408 075 805. The family report itself may be redacted, so it is not necessary to disclose the name of the client at any point in the process. Dr. Jacobs will provide a comprehensive report with suggested questions and strategies for cross examination, usually within 4 working days.
This is a consultative, “behind the scenes” service to assist the family lawyer in his/her advocacy. It is understood that Dr. Jacobs will not appear as a witness and that no correspondence from Dr. Jacobs will be entered into evidence at trial.
Please note that all of Dr. Jacobs’ professional activities are dedicated to advocating for children. If he believes that discrediting the family report will not be consistent with the best interests of the child(ren) Dr. Jacobs reserves the right to decline to provide a report. In that case, fees for reviewing the report and the resultant declination letter will still be applicable.
Fees
This service will be billed on an actual time basis at the rate of $300 per hour). It is estimated that a complete analysis and report will take between 3-5 hours, although this may vary.
For More Information
Please feel free to contact Dr. Jacobs if you have any questions about this service or if you’d like to discuss suitability of a prospective referral.
