Expert-Witness Consultation
Dr. Andrew B. Klafter provides expert-witness consultation for attorneys. His forensic work includes consultation regarding psychiatric diagnosis, standards of care, professional responsibility, and the psychological effects of injury and trauma. He also has the rare qualification of serving as an expert-witness for rabbinical courts (batei din) in arbitration, dispute adjudication, and other Jewish legal proceedings. His work includes expert diagnostic evaluations, mental capacity and competency evaluations, record review, case conceptualization, expert reports, deposition preparation, and courtroom testimony. He has served as an expert witness and case-review consultant for attorneys representing both plaintiffs and defendants.
Attorneys have requested consultation with Dr. Klafter in cases involving:
malpractice, standards of care, and professional responsibility in psychiatry, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and/or psychoanalysis
treatment-related complications and adverse outcomes
mental competency and decision-making capacity
psychological damages in personal injury cases, criminal matters, hostile work environments, and related liability contexts
guardianship and capacity determinations
parenting fitness and custody disputes
consultation with courts, guardians ad litem, attorneys, and parents regarding custody arrangements designed to minimize family disruption and reduce adverse psychological effects on children
fitness for duty and workplace safety
record review and rebuttal consultation regarding opposing expert reports
Consultation typically begins with an initial phone call or video conference. If Dr. Klafter is retained, the consultation may proceed to include preliminary case review, expert reports, deposition preparation, and courtroom testimony as appropriate. If Dr. Klafter feels that he is not the ideal expert witness for the matter at hand, he will often be able to suggest trusted colleagues who can competently provide the required services.
Forensic Rabbinical Court (Beit Din) Consultation
Dr. Klafter also serves as an expert-witness for rabbinical courts (Batei Din) in Ohio, New York, New Jersey, and Israel. He has experience working within both civil and religious legal frameworks in cases involving family conflict, divorce, custody disputes, mental health concerns, and questions of professional responsibility arising within religious communities.
His expertise as a forensic mental health evaluator and experience with rabbinical court procedure allows him to assist attorneys, to’anim (legal advocates for rabbinical courts), and dayanim (rabbinical judges) in matters requiring mental health expertise integrated with knowledge of Jewish law and practical experience testifying in rabbinical court proceedings. A frequent area of consultation for rabbinical courts involves questions of mental competency because of its central role in Jewish legal matters related to marriage, divorce, religious conversion, estate planning, wills, inheritance disputes, and other civil matters in which financial or other legal decisions are challenged on the basis of mental competency. These consultations often involve questions about a person’s capacity to participate meaningfully in religious legal proceedings, conduct proper business transactions, or to make binding personal and financial decisions under Jewish law. Dr. Klafter has extensive experience assessing mental competency for such situations, and attesting to his professional opinions in writing and in person before rabbinical judges (dayanim). Dr. Klafter has also provided orientations and served as a liaison between attorneys rabbinical courts for those litigating in rabbinical proceedings for first time.