Name: Competence and Capacity: Differences in Legal and Psychological Understandings
Start: 2026-08-27T13:15:00-0700
End: 2026-08-27T14:15:00-0700

Competence and Capacity: Differences in Legal and Psychological Understandings

Thursday August 27, 2026 1:15pm - 2:15pm PDT

Embassy Suites- Cambridge B

This lecture bridges the often-misaligned vocabularies of law and forensic psychology as they apply to one of the most consequential determinations in legal practice: whether an individual possesses the mental ability to make decisions, execute legal documents, or participate meaningfully in legal proceedings. The presentation explores how psychologists assess cognitive and volitional functioning across multiple domains, including memory, reasoning, insight, and susceptibility to undue influence, and how those assessments map (or fail to map) onto legal standards for testamentary capacity, contractual capacity, guardianship, and informed consent. Attendees will gain insight into how forensic evaluators approach these questions, what a psychological report can and cannot tell a court, and how to effectively retain, prepare, and cross-examine expert witnesses in capacity disputes. The lecture concludes with practical applications for elder law practitioners, addressing the rising prevalence of dementia and mild cognitive impairment in aging clients, the timing of capacity evaluations, red flags at the time of document execution, and strategies for building a durable record that can withstand future legal challenge.

Speakers

Dr. Charles Ihrig

Dr. Charles Ihrig is a Licensed Psychologist and Licensed Professional Counselor with more than three decades of experience in mental health care. He is the Founder and President of Athena Care, established in 2001, which has grown under his leadership into one of Tennessee’s... Read More →

Dr. Jorge Boero

Dr. Boero is a native of Argentina and is fully bilingual in Spanish and English.  He is a licensed psychologist who received his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of South Dakota and completed his postdoctoral training at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s... Read More →

115 215 Ihrig Competence and Capacity CLE v6 Repaired pptx

Thursday August 27, 2026 1:15pm - 2:15pm PDT
Embassy Suites- Cambridge B

Equal Justice University 2026

Dr. Charles Ihrig

Dr. Jorge Boero

Attendees (10)

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Equal Justice University 2026

Dr. Charles Ihrig

Dr. Jorge Boero

Attendees (10)

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