Forensic Psychiatric Services & Expertise

An Overview of Dr. Darby’s Forensic Psychiatric Services & Expertise

William Connor Darby, M.D., is a highly regarded forensic psychiatrist based in Los Angeles and nationally acclaimed as an expert witness in criminal and civil court cases. He is double board-certified in Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Darby conducts comprehensive forensic evaluations that include a rigorous review of relevant records (e.g., medical, employment, education, police records, etc.), assessment of collateral sources of information, independent psychiatric examinations, and medical testing (e.g., labs, brain imaging, etc.) when necessary. His criminal work frequently addresses key issues such as insanity defenses, diminished capacity, diminished actuality, diminished responsibility, mens rea defenses, involuntary intoxication, voluntary intoxication, false confessions, false allegations, white collar crime, various criminal competencies (e.g., to plead, stand trial, testify, etc.), mental health diversion, malingering, mitigating versus aggravating factors at sentencing, and future violence risk assessments. In civil cases, he provides critical insight into claims involving emotional distress, psychological trauma, psychiatric injuries, suicide, psychopharmacology, medication complications, wrongful termination, wrongful death, undue influence, testamentary capacity, informed consent, contractual capacity, quality of care, ethics guidelines, professional liability, Tarasoff duty to protect, among others, to educate the trier of fact on psychiatric related issues to promote fair and accurate legal decisions.

Expert Witness Contributions in the Court Room

As an expert witness, Dr. Darby’s written reports and oral testimony in court are characterized by clear, evidence-based opinions on psychiatric diagnoses and their behavioral impacts, ensuring that judges and juries grasp the complexities of mental health conditions and their nexus to various psycho-legal questions. His involvement in high-stakes cases emphasizes his ability to communicate complex psychiatric findings in a manner understandable to the legal community as well as laypersons. His work has had significant influence in cases where mental health-related issues play a pivotal role in determining both criminal liability and civil damages. 

Ethical Standards

Ethical considerations are at the forefront of Dr. Darby’s forensic practice. In line with contemporary discussions on forensic psychiatry ethics, Dr. Darby upholds strict ethical standards to ensure his assessments are scientifically grounded and as objective as possible. His approach includes avoiding undue influence from either side of a legal dispute, and ensuring the court receives an unbiased expert opinion.  Dr. Darby has presented on forensic ethics topics at national and international conferences such as at annual meetings for the American Academy of Law and Psychiatry, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities, Neuroethics Network, and the American Society of Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Darby is past Chair of the Ethics Committee for the American Academy of Law and Psychiatry, the Psychiatry & Behavioral Science Section for the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry, and Bioethics Committee for the California Department of State Hospitals. Dr. Darby’s research and scholarship on forensic ethics topics include published articles in highly acclaimed journals: Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Behavioral Sciences & the Law, Nature Reviews Neurology, Neurology, among others.  Dr. Darby is co-editor and author of Forensic Neuropsychiatric Ethics: Balancing Competing Duties In and Out of Court, published by the American Psychiatric Association Publishing.

Educational Leadership

In addition to his legal work, Dr. Darby is an educator and leader, serving as Director of the UCLA Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program. His contributions to the academic field include training the next generation of forensic psychiatrists while authoring original scholarly works and conducting ongoing research projects. Dr. Darby collaborates with other forensic leaders around the country through his involvement in national forensic and psychiatric organizations such as the American Academy of Law and Psychiatry (AAPL), the American Psychiatric Association(APA), the American College of Psychiatrists, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), and American Society for Adolescent Psychiatry(ASAP). Dr. Darby is Past President of ASAP, Past Councilor of AAPL, Member of the Council on Psychiatry and the Law for the APA.  He advises and mentors physicians from other specialties, such as neurology, on forensic practice. His broad range of experience with both clinical psychiatric treatment and forensic psychiatry which spans workplace disputes, criminal responsibility, and civil matters, makes him a trusted figure in legal, medical, and academic communities.

Criminal Cases

  • Mental Health Diversion Evaluations
  • Insanity Defense(s)
  • Imperfect Self Defense
  • Diminished Capacity and Actuality
  • Sentencing Mitigation
  • Criminal Competencies (E.G., To Stand Trial, to Plead, to Testify, Etc.)
  • Voluntariness of Confessions
  • Contested Plea Bargains
  • False Confessions
  • False Allegations
  • Criminal Threats
  • Elder Abuse and Exploitation
  • Capital Sentencing
  • Violence Risk Assessment
  • Homicide
  • Serial Murder
  • Intimate Partner Violence
  • Hate Crimes and Cults
  • White Collar Crime
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Crime
  • Sex Offenses
  • Juveniles as Witnesses
  • Juvenile Offenders
  • Juvenile Waivers to Adult Court
  • Workplace Threats and Violence
  • Among Others

Civil Cases

  • Personal Injury Litigation Issues
  • Psychiatric Negligence and Malpractice
  • Testamentary Capacity
  • Contractual Capacity
  • Undue Influence
  • Psychiatric Disability Evaluations
  • Conservatorships and Guardianships
  • Quality of Care
  • Mass Tort Litigation covering catastrophes such as traumatic events on airplanes, train crashes, multiparty accidents, toxic torts such as groundwater contamination, asbestos exposure, mold infestation and claims of serious civil rights violations.
  • Wrongful Termination
  • Negligent Hiring and Supervision
  • Among Others

Legal Regulation of Psychiatry Cases

  • Professional Liability
  • Ethics Guidelines
  • Tarasoff and Duty to Protect
  • Informed Consent
  • Civil Involuntary Commitment
  • Voluntary Hospitalization
  • Confidentiality
  • Right to Treatment
  • Right to Refuse Treatment
  • Fitness for Duty Evaluations
  • Conditions of Confinement
  • Among Others

Special Areas of Expertise

PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS

  • Schizophrenia
  • Schizoaffective Disorder
  • Substance and Medication Induced Psychotic Disorders
  • Psychotic Disorders Secondary to a General Medical Condition
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Bipolar Disorders
  • Depressive Disorders
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Substance Use Disorders
  • Substance and Medication Induced Psychotic Disorders
  • Psychopathy
  • OCD
  • ADHD
  • Malingering
  • Autism
  • Personality Disorders
  • Factitious Illness (Munchausen Syndrome, Munchausen by Proxy, Factitious Victimization)
  • Claims of Multiple Personality Disorder
  • Dissociative Identity Disorder
  • Among Others
  • Addiction
  • Mental Disability
  • Mood Disorders
  • Conduct Disorders
  • Geriatric Mental Disorders
  • Post Partum Depression
  • Post Partum Psychosis

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

  • Veterans
  • Adolescents
  • Geriatric
  • High-Functioning Professionals (e.g., physicians, lawyers, judges, executives)

SPECIAL SETTINGS

  • Schools and Universities
  • Correctional Facilities
  • Inpatient Psychiatric Hospitals
  • Homes and Assisted Living Facilities