Lawrence Belcher, MD
Park Dietz & Associates, Inc., a nationwide, interdisciplinary forensic expert firm
2906 Lafayette Rd.
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Office: 949-723-2211
Introduction
Lawrence Belcher, MD—board-certified in adult and forensic psychiatry—is a Forensic Psychiatric Expert with Park Dietz & Associates. Harvard-trained and a former faculty member of Harvard Medical School, he is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. He holds a leadership position in forensic psychiatry with one of the country’s largest public mental health agencies and maintains medical licenses in New York, Massachusetts, and Ohio. He is an active member of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, where he serves on several committees and task forces.
Dr. Belcher has been qualified as an expert numerous times by courts in Ohio and New York and has given testimony in multiple cases. In his clinical and teaching work, he specializes in severe mental illness (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder), and in his public sector role he is an expert in the treatment and monitoring of insanity acquittees.
Areas of Expertise
- Competency
- Forensic Psychiatry
- Malingering
- Mass Torts
- Medical Malpractice
- Psychiatry
- Psychopharmacology
- Sanity/Competency to Stand Trial
- Suicide
- Testamentary Capacity
Expert Background
- Q: Please list your professional accreditations, degrees, licenses, and certificates granted:
- A:
• The University of Chicago
Bachelor of Arts, Department and College Honors, in Political Science
Phi Beta Kappa
• The University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine
• Massachusetts General Hospital / McLean Hospital / Harvard Medical School
Residency in Adult Psychiatry
• Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute
Fellowship in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
• University Hospitals Cleveland / Case Western Reserve University
Fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry
Medical Licensure: Massachusetts, Ohio, New York
Board Certification: Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry)
- Q: Please list your affiliations or memberships in any professional and/or industry organizations:
- A:
• American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
• American Psychiatric Association
- Q: Please list any teaching or speaking experience you have had, including subject matter:
- A:
• Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
• Lecturer in Psychiatry, Part-Time, Harvard Medical School
• Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Dr. Belcher has written journal articles and book chapters and given academic presentations and course lectures for numerous institutions, including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, the University of Chicago, Harvard Medical School, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, UCLA-Harbor Medical Center, and New York University.
Topics have included:
• Civil commitment
• Treatment and monitoring of insanity acquittees
• Treatment of patients with severe mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder)
• Psychotherapy in psychiatry and psychiatric training
• Clinical supervision
• Neurocognitive disorders (dementias)
• Trauma reactions
• Psychiatric malpractice
• Depressive disorders
• Emergency psychiatry
• Narcissistic personality disorder and other personality disorders
• Insight into psychiatric illness and anosognosia (the condition of not knowing that one is ill)
• Antisocial personality disorder
• Psychological factors in cult leaders and followers
• Conceptual and philosophical issues in psychiatry
• HIV psychiatry
• “Doctor’s notes” for third parties (return-to-work issues, disability certifications, accommodation letters)
• Psychiatric ethics
• Racial prejudice
• Sleep disorders
• LGBTQ issues
• Sexual compulsivity
• Factitious disorder (Munchausen’s disorder and Munchausen’s disorder by proxy)
• Clozapine (an antipsychotic medication used in treatment-resistant schizophrenia)
- Q: Have any of your accreditations ever been investigated, suspended or removed? (if yes, explain)
- A: No
- Q: On how many occasions have you been retained as an expert?
- A: Available upon request
- Q: For what area(s) of expertise have you been retained as an expert?
- A:
Dr. Belcher has completed more than 85 cases in forensic psychiatry, including:
• Competency to stand trial, with experience in contested and post-restoration cases
• Sanity, including for homicide and sexually violent crimes
• Other criminal competencies such as competency to self-represent and waive Miranda rights
• Assessment of malingering
• Suicide and violence risk assessments
• Competency to refuse medication and other decision-making capacities
• Sentencing mitigation
Dr. Belcher has additional training and experience in conducting standard of care assessments, psychological autopsies, testamentary capacity, psychological damages, allegations of sexual abuse, and fitness for duty evaluations.
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the plaintiff?
- A: Available upon request
- Q: In what percentage of your cases were you retained by the defendant?
- A: Available upon request
- Q: On how many occasions have you had your deposition taken?
- A: Available upon request
- Q: When was the last time you had your deposition taken?
- A: Available upon request
- Q: On how many occasions have you been qualified by a court to give expert testimony?
- A: Available upon request
- Q: On how many occasions have you testified as an expert in court or before an arbitrator?
- A: Available upon request
- Q: For how many years have you worked with the legal industry as an expert?
- A: Available upon request
- Q: What services do you offer? (E.g.: consulting, testing, reports, site inspections etc.)
- A: Consultation, Evaluations, Reports, and Testimony
- Q: What is your hourly rate to consult with an attorney?
- A: Hourly rates are the same for all activities and are available on request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to review documents?
- A: Hourly rates are the same for all activities and are available on request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide deposition testimony?
- A: Hourly rates are the same for all activities and are available on request.
- Q: What is your hourly rate to provide testimony at trial?
- A: Hourly rates are the same for all activities and are available on request.
- Q: Please list any fees other than those stated above (E.g.: travel expenses, copy fees, etc.)
- A: Travel expenses and other expenses specified in the engagement letter or contract.
References
Available Upon Request