By Legal and Regulatory Affairs Staff and Communications Staff
February 15, 2005 — When do practitioners have immunity from being sued? How might a disciplinary hearing differ from a criminal or civil trial? What’s the difference between serving as an “expert witness” and a “fact witness” in a legal proceeding? These questions reflect the wide variety of legal issues that have an impact on practicing psychologists.
This question-and-answer article briefly introduces several legal matters that practitioners often raise with staff for the APA Practice Organization. It provides the foundation for a series of articles about the practical impact of various laws and regulations, as well as legal decisions, on licensed psychologists. The monthly series begins in the March 15, 2005 issue of PracticeUpdate.