Common Questions
1. What Levels of Service are provided?
2. Can Dr.Rybicki provide expert services in my case in local court?
3. How much does it cost?
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What Levels of Service are provided?
Most inquires for Family Law or Dependency Court matters ask about the various levels of possible forensic service.
There are two such levels of service.
Dr. Rybicki is limiting his practice to only providing case consultation and conducting Work Product review at present. The following information is intended to provide you with some sense of what those services might entail.
The main professional service provided by Dr. Rybicki involves conducting Work Product Reviews -- considered a form of quality control analysis of the psychological testing reports of others including parenting evaluations and related reports (e.g., such as parenting capacity reports for Dependency Court). The focus is on whether proper data collection methods were used, whether there was a logical nexus between the data and the findings or recommendations, and whether there was attention paid to other factors noted in the research. On average these cases involve an initial retainer of about $750 to $1,050 and may expand to report preparation or court appearance (which can raise costs substantially). If this is what you need, please inquire about customary fees. This type of service is best obtained through having counsel contact Dr. Rybicki to check availability and rule out any conflict issues. This also allows for checking feasibility of remote service -- which offers a substantial cost savings to you.
The second major area of service includes consultation as an expert with possible rebuttal testimony. This may be based on a review of documents in a case. Conclusions about best interests of children or diagnostic formulations about persons not seen directly for evaluation cannot be provided under this level of service. This is not a "second opinion" process but rather one which looks at the methods of assessment and evaluation used by others (psychologist, social worker, Guardian ad Litem) and offers input to counsel regarding the degree to which sound conclusions have been provided. This may lead to developing questions for deposition or cross or may move to the level of offering rebuttal testimony in court. As before, these cases typically involve an initial retainer of about $750 to $938 and may expand to report preparation or court appearance (which can raise costs substantially). If this is what you need, please inquire about customary fees.
Can Dr. Rybicki provide expert services in my case in local court ?
States differ in their allowance for professional psychological services by persons not locally licensed. Dr. Rybicki always checks local requirements before accepting cases in states where he is not currently licensed. Some services can be provided remotely, including consultation and assistance via e-mail and fax, as well as direct contact with you and your attorney. And, some states have adapted to remote appearance for court and depositions.
If the case demands that we make an evaluation with you, you may come to our local offices, or if acceptable with local statutes, we will arrange to travel to you. Court appearances under court order often are acceptable in most states. In all instances where there is travel beyond the new main office in Franklin, Tennessee, there will be extra travel charges incurred. More information regarding such travel fees and portal to portal fees is available through Dr. Rybicki.
How Much Does It Cost ?
Each case will demand differing amounts of professional time and possible travel and testimony. A full fee schedule is available upon request. Most forensic services such as document review, report preparation, and telephone consultation time will be billed at the rate of $375 per hour, with an additional fee schedule for travel & testimony. Simple cases may require only a few hours of work, but you should generally figure that most cases will demand about 10 hours of work or more, and a retainer may need to be established up front. Contact us with your questions and we can discuss fees and other issues.
Legal Notice: Communication with Dr. Rybicki by text, email, or phone does not constitute establishing a professional relationship. That requires a signed agreement on services or stipulation agreement, letter of intent and explanation of services, and payment of any initial retainer. Any other communications prior to such steps is merely for educational and information purposes.
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