Service · 04 · For counsel
Forensic psychiatry
Independent psychiatric evaluations and expert witness opinion. Board-certified.
For attorneys and the courts: impartial psychiatric assessment and expert witness testimony by a physician board-certified in forensic psychiatry. Engagements are accepted in criminal and civil matters across North Carolina, with clear scope, conflict screening, and reports written to survive cross-examination.
Matters accepted.
- 01Criminal responsibility
- 02Competency to stand trial
- 03Mitigation
- 04Civil capacity
- 05Fitness-for-duty
- 06Malingering assessment
- 07Records review
- 08Expert witness testimony
Independent and civil evaluations. Beyond criminal matters, engagements include independent psychiatric and medical examinations (IME) in employment and disability disputes, psychological-damages evaluations in personal injury, testamentary capacity and will contests, and fitness-for-duty assessments. Each carries the same standard: a documented opinion that holds up under examination.
Training and board certification.
Forensic opinion is only as sound as the credentials behind it. Dr. Baghel's qualifications are set out in full for the record.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
Medical degree, qualifying for full physician licensure.
Psychiatry residency
Accredited training in adult psychiatry.
Forensic psychiatry fellowship
Subspecialty training in the application of psychiatry to legal questions.
ABPN certification
Board-certified in psychiatry and in forensic psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.
Full curriculum vitae available to retaining counsel on request.
How a matter proceeds.
Each engagement follows a defined sequence, agreed with counsel at the outset so scope, timeline, and fees are clear before work begins.
- Initial inquiryCounsel outlines the matter, the questions at issue, and the timeline.
- Conflict checkA conflicts screen and a written engagement agreement before any review.
- Records reviewExamination of the relevant medical, legal, and collateral materials.
- EvaluationDirect examination where the matter calls for it, remote or in person.
- Written reportA reasoned opinion documented to the standard expected at deposition and trial.
- Testimony if neededDeposition and courtroom testimony as the matter requires.