Skip to main content

Professional Medico-Legal Services

We provide clear, impartial and timely medico-legal psychiatric assessments for solicitors, courts and public bodies across the UK. We accepts instructions across multiple legal areas, including:

Criminal cases

  • Fitness to plead
  • Mental state at the time of the offence
  • Diminished responsibility
  • Capacity to form intent
  • Risk assessment
  • Sentencing mitigation

Family law proceedings

  • Parental mental health assessments
  • Impact of trauma, substance use or mental illness on parenting
  • Risk to children arising from mental disorder
  • Capacity to instruct, consent or engage in proceedings

Immigration and asylum cases

  • Assessment of PTSD and trauma-related disorders
  • Vulnerability and credibility evaluations
  • Fitness to be interviewed or detained
  • Risk of deterioration on return

Court of Protection matters

  • Capacity for residence, care and support needs
  • Capacity for contact, relationships or social media use
  • Litigation capacity
  • Capacity to manage property and financial affairs


We provides balanced, evidence-based reports addressing psychiatric diagnosis, risk, capacity, trauma, and the impact of mental disorder on behaviour and decision-making, with a commitment to clarity, professionalism and reliable turnaround times.

 

Meet Our Expert

Dr Rizwan Saleem is a Consultant Psychiatrist with over 25 years clinical experience and published academic work in mental health and forensic psychiatry.

His background includes:

  • Broad experience in general adult, forensic and community mental health services
  • GMC-registered medical practitioner with specialist registration in psychiatry
  • Approved under S.12 of the Mental Health Act
  • Experienced expert witness in courts
  • Skilled in assessing complex presentations, including psychosis, mood disorders, trauma-related disorders (including PTSD), neurodevelopmental conditions and personality disorders
  • Extensive experience in capacity assessments, including litigation capacity, residence and care decisions, contact, sexual relations and financial matters
  • Regularly instructed by solicitors, local authorities and courts, providing high-quality, balanced and court-ready psychiatric reports
  • Experienced in evaluating risk, including risk to self, risk to others and safeguarding concerns
  • Trained in the assessment of trauma and vulnerability, particularly relevant in immigration/asylum cases

Our Services

Comprehensive Medico-Legal Services

We provide expert psychiatric evaluations and detailed reports tailored to the needs of solicitors in various legal contexts.

Assessment for Criminal Cases

Our evaluations help assess mental health issues relevant to criminal behavior, aiding legal teams in their defense strategies.

Family Court Evaluations

We perform thorough psychiatric assessments to support family law cases, focusing on custody and welfare matters.

Court of Protection Reports

Specialized assessments to guide decisions regarding individuals who may lack the mental capacity to make decisions.

Immigration Cases

Reports are trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and aligned with the requirements of expert evidence in immigration contexts.

Expert Testimony

Our psychiatrists are prepared to provide expert witness testimony in court to validate the findings of our assessments.

Ready to Support Your Legal Cases?

Contact us for expert psychiatric evaluations.

FAQs

We specialize in providing medico-legal services for solicitors dealing with criminal, family, immigration, and Court of Protection cases.

You can easily submit your inquiry by filling in the form below. We will get back to you within 24 hours with a response and let you know whether we can help, our projected fees, and any other information we need. 

Dr Rizwan Saleem: My qualifications are MSc , MB, BS, MRCPsych. I am on the Specialist Register of the General Medical Council (GMC no. 4475103). I am approved by the Secretary of State for the purposes of Section 12(2) of the Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983 as amended 2007.

I have a special interest and many years of experience in forensic psychiatry and looking after patients on Hospital Orders and at all stages of the criminal justice system.  I have extensive experience in the assessment of mentally-disordered offenders for the purposes of court hearings and admission to high-, medium- and low-secure hospitals. I am currently working as a Consultant Psychiatrist in a locked rehabilitation unit for patients with complex mental health and risk presentations. About one-fifth of my day to day caseload in this role involves managing forensic patients, from homicide cases to minor offenders.

I have been carrying out medico-legal work for solicitors and courts for over10 years, and have completed hundreds of cases during this time, and have appeared in court as an expert witness on many occasions. I have extensive experience in risk assessment and management, capacity assessments of all types, fitness to plead, psychiatric defenses including Insanity, diminished responsibility and loss of control, and suitability for diversion to hospital and psychiatric disposals. I also have experience in a range of Family Court, Immigration and Asylum, and Court of Protection cases.

Yes, I accept referrals from solicitors, CPS, private clients, and other legal professionals for various cases.

The evaluation process duration varies depending on the case specifics and availability of the client, but we typically provide a report within 4-6 weeks from instruction. For more urgent requests, please get in touch using the form below and we will try and accommodate your requirements.

Please inform us at least 48 hours in advance if you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment.