About Katya Halsall

I am an Employment Expert and Functional Evaluator.

I prepare evidence-based vocational reports for litigation and rehabilitation.

Since 2016, I have been writing Expert Employment and Earnings Reports for the Court for personal injury, medical negligence and family law cases.

My expertise is to provide reports commenting on a Claimant’s capacity for work and their career and earnings trajectory but for the index event and now.

Employment and Earnings
Capacity for work
Suitable occupations
Functional abilities and limitations

I have prepared reports for the Court in the jurisdictions of England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Jersey.

I have also been instructed to prepare Expert Reports to assist Courts in Australia, Canada, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands, and to comment on the labour market and salaries in New Zealand.

I have prepared reports for Claimants and Defendants and as a Single Joint Expert.

Approach

I use a functional approach to comment on a Claimant’s capacity for work and their earnings potential.

Matching the Claimant’s functional abilities and limitations to the demands of specific jobs enables me to identify suitable occupations.

This functional approach forms the core of my argument about what type of work the Claimant can and cannot do.

In turn, this approach enables me to present an evidence-based opinion about the Claimant’s earnings potential, based on their capacity for work.

Specialisms

Personal Injury: Accidents at work, road traffic accidents, assaults, slips, trips and falls

Medical Negligence: Pre- and post-childbirth, child, adolescent and adult medical negligence

Family Law: Separation and divorce, spousal incapacitation/ death

Experience

Private and Public Sector workforce
Military personnel
Teachers, Civil Servants, NHS staff, and Emergency Services personnel
The self-employed
Children, adolescents, students
High-income professionals
Families of the deceased

Typical Instructions

A Claimant’s capacity for work, the potential trajectory of their career and earnings capacity but for the index event.
A Claimant’s capacity for work, the potential trajectory of their career and earnings capacity now.

As an Expert with a background in vocational rehabilitation, I am also frequently asked to comment on any measures that would help a Claimant to return to work.

Report Options

1. Desktop Report. My report will be based on the evidence provided to me.
2. Remote Assessment. My report will be based on the available evidence (as per option 1) PLUS a remote assessment with the Claimant.
3. In-Person Assessment. My report will be based on the available evidence (as per options 1 & 2), PLUS an in-person evaluation of the Claimant’s functional abilities & limitations and subsequently their objectively assessed capacity for work.

Memberships & Accreditations

Accredited Expert Witness, The Academy of Experts (Reg N: 3878)
Member of the Law Society of Scotland (Expert Witness)
1st Tier Expert, Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). M/N 18337
National Expert Witness Agency (NEWA)
UK Register of Expert Witnesses
Bond Solon Register of Certified Expert Witnesses
Case Management Society UK (CMSUK)
British Association of Brain Injury & Complex Case Management (BABICM)
Vocational Rehabilitation Association (VRA)

Qualifications

Cardiff University School of Law & Politics. Bond Solon Civil Expert Certificate
Masterclass in Report Writing
Matheson Education & Training (USA) Certified Work Capacity Evaluator
Advanced Concepts in Functional Capacity Evaluations
Certified Administrator: MoCA (cognitive dysfunction test)
Trained to conduct Cognitive Ability Evaluations
DSE & Manual Handling Risk Assessor
Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling
Teaching Diploma