Civil Evaluations

Capacity & Guardianship Evaluations

Determining decision‑making ability for personal, financial, and testamentary matters.

Referral questions include whether an individual can provide for their personal needs, manage their finances, consent to medical treatment, or execute a valid will. Courts, attorneys, and family members seek evaluations when considering conservatorship or challenging testamentary capacity.

Other Civil Evaluations

Expert assessments for personal injury, employment, immigration, elder abuse, and more.

Referrals include personal injury and emotional distress cases, employment and ADA/EEOC issues (fitness‑for‑duty, reasonable accommodations, discrimination/retaliation), workers’ compensation and disability claims, immigration and asylum evaluations (U‑Visa, VAWA), elder abuse and vulnerability assessments, and civil commitment evaluations under WIC §5150.

Our Process

We clarify the referral question and align the evaluation with the controlling legal standard(s).
- Capacity/Guardianship: California Probate Code §1801 (general/limited conservatorship) and §6100.5 (testamentary capacity: understanding a will, nature/extent of assets, identity of beneficiaries, and intended disposition).
- Other Civil: Applicable standards for ADA/EEOC (functional limitations & reasonable accommodations), workers’ compensation/disability (psychiatric injury and impairment), immigration/asylum (trauma documentation, credibility, risk), elder abuse/vulnerability (risk of exploitation; protective needs), and WIC §5150 (imminent risk).
We request and analyze medical/mental-health records, prior evaluations, legal filings, financial documents (as relevant), employment/academic records, immigration materials, prior wills/POAs, and social-service/case-management notes.
We conduct a focused interview addressing decision-making abilities, functional capacities, symptom history, and context (e.g., medical conditions, psychiatric symptoms, neurocognitive status, trauma exposure).
- Capacity/Guardianship emphasis: personal care (health, nutrition, hygiene), medical consent, financial management, and - when indicated - testamentary intent.
We select instruments that fit the referral and the examinee (e.g., ACED for everyday decision-making, UPSA for functional skills; cognitive, personality, symptom-validity, and trauma measures as appropriate). Testing is always tailored and clinically justified.
With permission or legal authority, we speak with family members/caregivers, treating providers, fiduciaries/financial planners, employers/school staff, or counsel to corroborate history, clarify functioning, and document supports.
We evaluate options proportional to the person’s abilities and risks.
- Capacity/Guardianship: supported-decision making, limited powers of attorney, limited vs. general conservatorship.
- Other Civil: accommodations, treatment pathways, safety planning, community resources.
We synthesize data into a clear, defensible report that:
- Answers the referral question in the language of the legal standard,
- Explains methods and results (records, interview, testing, collateral),
- Details functional findings and decision-specific capacities,
- Provides recommendations (e.g., accommodations, protective interventions, or conservatorship scope).
We provide court or administrative testimony and consult with counsel on the evaluation’s findings and implications.

FAQs

Yes. Capacity is decision-specific and can vary across domains. Someone may manage personal care independently yet require help with finances or legal decisions. Our reports identify which abilities are intact and where limited supports or conservatorship may be appropriate.
We evaluate susceptibility to coercion or exploitation by examining social supports, dependency, cognitive status, financial control, and recent changes in relationships or decision-making. We also review indicators of elder or dependent-adult abuse.
Yes. We provide forensic evaluations that address causation, symptom validity, and prognosis in civil matters involving alleged psychological injury or trauma.
Yes. We evaluate functional limitations and offer recommendations for reasonable accommodations in employment, academic, or licensing contexts.
Yes. We document trauma exposure, credibility, and risk of persecution for U-Visa, VAWA, and asylum applications, integrating culturally informed assessment methods.