Business Psychology ● Bespoke Assessment ● Insightful Selection ● Transformational Coaching

• Doherty Stobbs are experts in advising the Courts on loss of earnings, vocational rehabilitation and assessment of retraining potential for people with acquired disabilities, following personal injury or medical negligence, and also unfair dismissal or marital / breach of contract disputes.  
• We offer award winning expert witness services.
• We are able to provide an in-depth, objective and clear opinion on the loss of earnings component of a litigation claim.  

• Our expert witnesses are practising Occupational Psychologists, so have directly relevant professional skills and experience, which allows the Court to gain added insight into the psychological, cognitive and interpersonal demands made of individuals in the modern workplace.
• Working with HR departments in advisory and practitioner capacity, we have considerable experience of assessment centres for selection and development and an excellent understanding of the needs of employers in terms of performance at work, and the prevailing labour market.
• Doherty Stobbs experts are very experienced in the use of psychometrics to objectively assess retraining capability and pre-morbid intellectual potential – helpful in producing a well-justified and objectively evidenced Schedule or Counter-Schedule of Loss
• We have particular expertise in assessing the employment impacts of brain injury, spinal injury, chronic  pain, mental health and other complex disabilities, as well as extensive experience of helping people return to work after an acquired disability or health setback.
• We have practical experience of making use of statutory vocational rehabilitation services for people with disabilities, so understand the pros and cons of what can be achieved.

• As a result, we believe that we are able to approach the employment issues in litigation from a broader and more holistic perspective than many employment consultants, and so contribute significantly towards achieving greater accuracy in the valuation of a loss of earnings claim.

Typical cases

• High value, often high profile claims, including MoD/ Military and industrial claims
• Serious / catastrophic injuries, such as head and spinal injuries and amputations
• Cases where PTSD and other mental health / emotional problems are an important consideration
• Occupational stress and bullying where the associated health and safety causes and impacts are a key factor in the litigation
• Assessing future employment and earnings prospects for minors
• Wide range of occupational areas, including some more diverse roles, such as DJ, blues singer, dancer, diver, producer
• Instructions are accepted from solicitors representing either Claimant, Defendant or for the preparation of Single Joint reports

Matrimonial cases

• Evaluating earnings and employment prospects of either party involved in divorce proceedings

• Expert Witness reports in the area of employment, loss of earnings, vocational rehabilitation and retraining capacity. Reports provided for personal injury, clinical negligence, matrimonial, unfair dismissal and criminal injuries cases.  Both Claimant and Defendant.

• Assessment of retraining capacity
  We can provide a stand- alone, objective analysis of an individual's capacity to learn new skills with the use of psychometric assessment, including diagnostic dyslexia assessment, where appropriate.

• Labour market research
  We can provide short labour market reports providing key, relevant information to assist with decision making, for example, level of earnings, opportunity within an employment sector.  Often helping in preparation of Schedule or Counter-Schedule.

• Vocational rehabilitation assessments
  We also offer a range of vocational rehabilitation services to help Claimants (whether disabled or not) rebuild their working lives and return to work / restart a new career.  Our starting point is to assess and identify the services and interventions required to assist an individual return to work and the approximate cost of those services.  This can either be in the form of an Expert report to inform a Claim or a non-forensic Vocational Rehabilitation Needs Assessment report designed to assist the individual move forward.  Please click here for more information on non-forensic VR services.
• Job retention
  This is where the Claimant cannot currently return to their pre-injury job, but wants to keep working for the same firm if possible, perhaps in another role or maybe a re-designed role.

• Training for solicitors
  We run the following seminars/webinars for solicitors. These include :

• Impact of traumatic brain injury on employment
• Critical factors in determining loss of earnings of injured claimants
• Vocational rehabilitation: key issues
• Chronic pain and its impact on employment
• Psychology of loss and adaptation and its relationship to mitigation
• Personal resilience
• Personal impact
• We are happy to consider bespoke in-house courses to suit your individual firm's requirements

• Prepared by very experienced occupational psychologists and expert witnesses, whose professional bodies have clearly stated ethical and professional standards underpinned by an impartial evidence based approach to best practice

• Accurate understanding of the work performance requirements of employers
• Up-to-date occupational and careers information

• Accurate understanding of the opportunities and possibilities for job retention; for example, through job re-design or retraining for the Claimant
• Expertise that enables us to identify work that can play to an individual's strengths and to make an objective assessment of likely success in a particular occupational area

• Ability to use a range of objective assessments in order to more accurately examine the Claimant’s retraining capacity; for example, assessing literacy and numeracy skills for an ex-manual worker can be crucial in gauging a realistic view of their retraining potential and likely achievement going forward
• Appreciation of how different disabilities / health problems can impact on performance at work, for example, head injury, chronic pain or occupational stress
• Full understanding of their role and duty as an Expert Witness