Specialties

I am the founder and Medical Director of Forensic Psychiatric Associates, LP, a group of 23 expert consultants in forensic psychiatry and psychology. We provide evidence-based opinions using records, (neuro)psychological testing and independent medical evaluations. We handle mass torts and multi-plaintiff litigation. Our experts hold credentials and board certifications from the top institutions in the country.

Our specialties include:Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry (child custody, child sexual abuse / trauma, juvenile justice, autism spectrum disorders), Personal Injury Law (PTSD, traumatic brain injury, risk assessments), Employment Law (discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, fitness for duty, risk assessment, harassment), Standards of Care (boundary violations, psychopharmacology, psychological and neuropsychological testing), Probate Law (will contests, testamentary capacity, undue influence), Substance Abuse & addiction (professional licensing issues, fitness for duty, criminal responsibility, Medical Review Officer (MRO) assessments), Criminal Law (responsibility, insanity defense, diminished capacity), Civil Law (wrongful death, civil competencies and capacities, NIED / IIED and multi-plaintiff litigation).

Degrees/Licenses

Our group includes triple- or double- board certified forensic psychiatrists (Medical Board, Board of Psychiatry and Board of Forensic Psychiatry), several neuropsychologists, and a forensic autism expert.

Formal Education

Our experts hold credentials and board-certifications from the top institutions in the country, including: Stanford University, Northwestern University, University of California at Berkeley, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Davis, Yale University, University of Texas, University of Arizona, University of Utah, Princeton University, Southern Illinois University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard Medical School, Dartmouth College, New York University, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin, University of Kansas, Emory University, Duke University, Fielding Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology, Cleveland Marshal College etc.

Registration and Licenses

MD (CA, HI); DEA, QME (currently inactive).

Previous/Current Position

Assoc. Clinical Professor/Psychiatry, UCSF; Faculty UCSF and San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute; Former Chairman San Francisco Foundation for Psychoanalysis; Media Medical Expert.

Honors/Awards

Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association.

Prof. Affiliations

UCSF, Dept. of Psychiatry, Assoc. Clinical Professor; Distinguished Life Fellow of American, California and Northern California Psychiatric Associations; Member of International Psychoanalytic Assn.; former officer & board member, San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute and Society; American Academy of Psychiatry and The Law; Founder and former Chairman San Francisco Foundation for Psychoanalysis; Psych. lecturer to Bar Association of San Francisco.

Publications

18 publications including "The Use of Forensic Psychiatry in Catastrophic Injury and Multi-Party Litigation" BNA (Bloomberg) Insight, (13:23 Dec. 2013). "Stressing The Point: PTSD - What It Is and What It Is Not" For The Defense, Defense Research Institute, Nov. 1995. "Shrink in the Courtroom," (2000) and "Assessing the Truth," (2000), San Francisco Attorney Magazine.

Prior Expert

More than 500 civil cases involving allegations of psychological injury. Defense: plaintiff 65% - 35%. PTSD, ADA, FEHA, Sexual harassment, psychotic states, incest, depression, drug/alcohol abuse, phobias; Psychiatric malpractice: Wrongful death, sexual or financial impropriety. More than 400 depositions; testified at trial in Federal and State Court 60 times.

Specialties

Human Resources, workplace investigations, employment discrimination (gender/age/race/disability), sexual harassment, retaliation, ADA, interactive process, reasonable accommodation, wage & hours, independent contractor status, negligent hiring/retention, wrongful termination, performance evaluation, statistical analysis, ergonomics.

Degrees/Licenses

PhD; MBA; Master of Legal Studies (MLS); BA; Licensed Psychologist (CA & NY).

Formal Education

PhD, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, New York University; MBA, Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Bernard Baruch School of Business, The City University of New York; Master of Legal Studies, The Santa Barbara and Ventura Colleges of Law

Registration and Licenses

Licensed Psychologist (California & NY); Board Certified in Forensic Psychology (Diplomate Status); Board Certified in Organizational and Business Consulting Psychology (Diplomate Status); Certified Employment Specialist; Board Certified in Professional Ergonomics.

Previous/Current Position

Previously: Vice President of Academic Affairs, Department Chair and Professor of Industrial-Organizational and Business Psychology, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology; Professor and System-wide Director of Alliant International University's California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), Organizational Psychology Division; Senior Vice President & General Manager, Kelly Services (Staffing), Metro Markets Division. Currently, Professor of I-O Business Psychology.

Honors/Awards

Award for Excellence in Teaching, The City University of New York, Multiple Faculty Research Awards, The City University of New York; Psi Chi Honor Society in Psychology; Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society in Business; Delta Sigma Rho - Tau Kappa Alpha Honor Society in Public Speaking & Debate; Founders Day Award, New York University; Service Award as Interim Dean, Alliant International University; Presenter to Defense Research Institute; Demonstration to American Board of Trial Attorneys (ABOTA) in San Francisco, 2013; Fellow, American Psychological Association, 2016.

Prof. Affiliations

California Psychological Association, Society of Industrial Organizational Psychologists, Fellow Society of Consulting Psychologists, The Industrial Psychology, Consulting Psychology and Engineering Psychology Divisions of the American Psychological Association, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and the Society for Human Resources Management.

Publications

Over 125 publications, mostly in top tier refereed journals and five books. Special Issue Editor, Legal and forensic issues in management, The Psychologist-Manager Journal, 2005; The Psychologist manager: Success models for psychologists in executive positions. Hogrefe Publishing (2013); How to protect the intellectual property of I-O and consulting psychology interventions and gain a competitive advantage: secrecy, copyright, and patent eligibility through empirical components. Consulting Psychology Journal, 66 (2), 2014; Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation: The dysfunctional side of diversity. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research. Vol 59(4), 2007; “Forensic Organizational Psychology – The Role of Psychologists in Litigation Support”, American Psychological Association, 2022.

Prior Expert

Dr. Finkelman served as a senior manager, consultant and expert witness in employment, staffing and human resources management for over three decades and conducted numerous investigations. He had hundreds of retentions and depositions and testified at trial, as an expert in employment practices, 65 times, equally for plaintiffs and defendants.