Court-admissible forensic and neuropsychological evaluations for Broward County’s 17th Judicial Circuit. Four licensed Florida psychologists, based 20 minutes north in Fort Lauderdale, retained by defense, prosecution, family, and immigration attorneys.
Since July 2025, Fewer Professionals can Legally evaluate your client
A Florida law that took effect July 1, 2025 changed who can perform court-appointed competency and sanity evaluations. HB 1091, now Chapter 2025-143, amended Florida Statute 916.115 so that a court-appointed expert in a Chapter 916 case must be a psychiatrist, licensed psychologist, or physician. License types that once appeared on the state evaluator list no longer qualify for that work.
Two details most attorneys have not tracked yet.
A judge may appoint no more than three experts to examine a defendant’s mental condition, and at least two must evaluate the defendant before the court commits them or rules on the question. Separately, any evaluator who was on the Department of Children and Families list as of July 1, 2024 had to complete the DCF annual forensic-evaluator training by July 1, 2026 to stay listed.
The practical takeaway is simple. The old standard of licensed and experienced no longer settles court-appointed work. Before you retain anyone for a Chapter 916 matter in Miramar or elsewhere in the 17th Circuit, confirm three things: the qualifying credential, current DCF training, and a place on the current evaluator list.
FC PsychExperts fields four licensed Florida psychologists, which satisfies the credential requirement on its face. Ask us to confirm current training and list status for your specific matter, and we will put it in writing.
How to Confirm your Evaluator Qualifies
Run any expert you are considering through this five-point check before you sign a retainer. It takes about ten minutes, and it is the difference between a report that survives a challenge and one that does not.
- Credential. Are they a psychiatrist, licensed psychologist, or physician? Get the Florida license number and verify it on the Florida Board of Psychology site.
- Training. Have they completed the DCF annual forensic-evaluator training for the current cycle?
- List status. Do they still appear on the current DCF Forensic Evaluator List for Chapter 916 work?
- Circuit fit. Have they testified in the 17th Circuit, and do they know Broward’s report and filing expectations?
- Scope match. Does the evaluation type match your legal question: competency, criminal responsibility, custody, injury, or immigration?
If an expert cannot answer the first three quickly, treat that as your answer.
Forensic Evaluations we perform for Broward attorneys
We cover the full range of forensic questions a 17th Circuit case raises, and the same team carries each case from records review to the witness stand.
On the criminal side, that means competency to proceed, criminal responsibility and sanity, and risk evaluations for sentencing or release. On the civil and family side, it means parenting-plan and parental-capacity evaluations, personal and emotional-injury evaluations for plaintiff and defense attorneys, and neuropsychological testing after a crash, fall, or workplace injury. We also perform immigration psychological evaluations, including extreme-hardship, asylum, and U-visa work.
Every forensic evaluation follows the same path: records review, a clinical interview, a mental status exam, psychological testing, scoring and interpretation, collateral interviews where appropriate, and a written report. A standard evaluation runs about 10 hours of direct assessment and analysis. We are usually booked about three weeks out, so build that lead time into your schedule. Depositions and trial testimony are scheduled separately from the evaluation itself.
Our psychologists have conducted evaluations in courthouses, county jails, juvenile detention, and ICE and federal detention facilities across Florida. An in-custody competency exam in Broward and a private custody evaluation get the same protocol and the same report standards.
Why a four-doctor team beats a solo evaluator
A solo evaluator can only testify to one specialty and one calendar. When that expert is already in trial the week your hearing lands, your case waits. A four-doctor practice covers more question types, reviews findings internally before they reach a report, and protects your timeline.
| Solo evaluator | FC PsychExperts (four doctors) | |
|---|---|---|
| Question types covered | Usually one specialty | Criminal, civil, family, and immigration |
| Neuropsychological testing | Referred out | In-house, board-certified neuropsychologist |
| If your expert is in trial that week | Your case waits | Another qualified evaluator can step in |
| Circuits testified in | Varies | 1st, 2nd, 15th, 17th, 19th, and 20th |
| Second-doctor review of findings | Not available | Available in-house |
Our four evaluators are all licensed Florida psychologists:
- Dr. Cathy Colet, Psy.D., licensed in Florida since 2014 (license PY9058), forensic focus. She also trains doctoral-level students.
- Dr. R. Lauren Miller, Psy.D., J.D., ABAP, a board-certified neuropsychologist licensed since 2013 (license PY8992). Her law degree matters when a case turns on how a clinical finding maps to a legal standard.
- Dr. Matthew J. Jalazo, Psy.D., licensed since 2008 (license PY7803), forensic focus.
- Dr. Christopher J. Beltran, Psy.D., licensed since 2007 (license PY6432), with nearly two decades in Florida forensic practice.
Between them, they have testified for prosecution and defense, plaintiff and defense, in six Florida circuits. Few solo evaluators can say the same, and fewer still pair a doctorate in psychology with a law degree the way Dr. Miller does.
Situations that bring Broward Attorneys to us
Most attorneys call with one of these questions. We talk through scope first and tell you plainly whether we can give you an objective evaluation or whether your matter needs a different expert.
- You need a competency-to-proceed evaluation for a client in Broward custody.
- You are raising an insanity or diminished-capacity defense and need a criminal-responsibility evaluation.
- You need a risk assessment for a sentencing hearing or a release decision.
- You are litigating a parenting plan or timesharing dispute and want a parental-capacity evaluation.
- You have a dependency matter through an agency such as ChildNet and need a parental-fitness evaluation.
- You represent a plaintiff whose personal-injury claim includes emotional damages.
- You need an extreme-hardship or asylum psychological evaluation for an immigration case.
- You want neuropsychological testing to document cognitive change after a crash or fall.
- You need a juvenile evaluation for a delinquency or transfer question.
- You want a second opinion or a rebuttal of another expert’s report.
Serving Miramar from Our Fort Lauderdale office
Our nearest office sits at 1451 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 300 in Fort Lauderdale, about 20 minutes north of Miramar and inside the same 17th Judicial Circuit that hears Broward County cases.
That distance rarely matters for forensic work. Evaluations happen by appointment, at our office, at the facility where your client is held, or at the courthouse, not at a neighborhood storefront. What matters is whether your evaluator knows Broward’s court procedures and can appear at the Broward County Courthouse when your case is called. Ours can.
Frequently asked questions about forensic evaluations in Miramar
Do I need a forensic psychologist based in Miramar itself?
No. Very few forensic psychologists practice inside Miramar, and location rarely affects forensic work, which happens by appointment at an office, a detention facility, or the courthouse. What matters is that your evaluator knows the 17th Judicial Circuit. We serve Miramar from our Fort Lauderdale office, about 20 minutes north.
Who can legally perform a court-appointed evaluation in Florida now?
Since July 1, 2025, a court-appointed expert for a Chapter 916 question such as competency or sanity must be a psychiatrist, licensed psychologist, or physician. Evaluators also have to complete annual DCF forensic-evaluator training to stay on the state list. Confirm both before you retain anyone.
What happens during a forensic evaluation?
A forensic evaluation includes records review, a clinical interview, a mental status exam, psychological testing, scoring and interpretation, and often collateral interviews, followed by a written report. It is more structured and legally focused than therapy, and the report is written for the court rather than for treatment.
How long does an evaluation take, and how far out are you booked?
A standard evaluation runs about 10 hours of direct assessment and analysis, spread across the interview, testing, and report writing. We are typically booked about three weeks out. Complex custody or injury evaluations can run longer and may involve several appointments.
Will my health insurance cover a forensic evaluation?
Evaluations performed to answer a legal question are generally not billed to health insurance, because they are not treatment. We review the scope and terms of your matter with you during the initial consultation.
Can the same psychologist evaluate my client and also treat them?
Generally no. Ethical guidelines keep the evaluation and treatment roles separate to protect objectivity. We can refer to appropriate treatment providers when an evaluation points that way, but the evaluator stays independent of treatment.
Do you offer remote or telehealth evaluations?
Sometimes, where the law and the specific question allow it. Some forensic evaluations, especially in-custody competency exams, have to be done in person. We tell you which applies to your case before we begin.
Retain an evaluator Who meets the Standard
Tell us your legal question and your timeline. We will confirm our current credentials and list status for your matter, and we will say plainly whether we can provide an objective evaluation or whether your case needs a different expert.