Orphans Court

Orphans Court is concerned with an individual’s decision-making capacity to do such things as managing one’s finances, caring for one’s self, making medical or treatment decisions, making a will, or entering into a contract.  The primary focus of forensic services  is offering an opinion concerning whether an individual has the functional capacities to collect and analyze information in order to make informed decisions.  Opinions concerning competencies are based upon whether the individual has the capacity, not whether the individual chooses to use the capacities.  Although a diagnosis  may explain why the decision-making capacity of an individual is impaired, a diagnosis does not in and of itself allow for an opinion concerning competency.  Evaluations which I carry out for Orphans Court are typically based upon third-party anecdotal information about the individual’s daily functioning, as well as a functional assessment of the relevant skills for a particular type of decision-making.