For solicitors
Expert forensic opinions for solicitors
Dr Michael Robertson — independent forensic toxicologist, 30+ years — provides opinions and reports that withstand scrutiny in court.
- Reports in 10–14 business days
- Urgent options for court dates
- Family, criminal, workplace & tribunals
- Legal Aid accepted
Turnaround
Reports in 10–14 business days
That is the standard timeframe, and the clock starts when your letter of instruction, the documents and payment are all in — not at first enquiry. It is measured in business days, so a fortnight of them is roughly three calendar weeks.
Urgent matters are often turned around sooner. Tell us the court date at the outset and the report is prioritised against it. Where a deadline cannot be met, you are told before the engagement is accepted — not after you have relied on it.
Who you deal with
One point of contact
You deal with one point of contact only. After you brief us, we handle all liaison with Dr Robertson, so your matter is not delayed by an expert being in court. He does not take direct calls or correspond with instructing parties — send instructions, documents and questions here, and we come back to you with his answer.
The opinion itself is entirely his. He reads the material, forms the view, and writes the report that goes into evidence under his name — nothing is drafted for him by anyone at this office, and no junior works under a signature that will later be cross-examined. Where a matter genuinely needs his voice, that is what a booked consultation or a court appearance is for, and both are scheduled once the documents and payment are in.
What to send when instructing
Providing these at first enquiry avoids the back-and-forth that otherwise costs a week before any substantive work starts.
1. Letter of instruction
- Outline the questions you want addressed.
- Clear instructions ensure the report answers the issues actually before the court, not adjacent ones.
2. Type of law
- Family, criminal, workplace, or another area.
- This determines how the interpretation is framed and pitched.
3. Documents and test results
- Final laboratory results from any lab or sample type — hair, blood, urine, saliva or breath, covering drugs, alcohol, steroids, poisons or other substances.
- Roadside saliva results, if applicable.
- For false-positive or disputed-metabolite cases: the client's prescription, or a letter from their treating doctor confirming medication and dosage.
4. Urgency and court dates
- Tell us if it's urgent, and give the date.
- Availability is confirmed against your deadline before the engagement is accepted.
5. Fee estimate
- A rough quote comes back on the above.
- A final quote is confirmed once Dr Robertson has reviewed the full material, before any report work begins.
6. Subpoena assistance
- Send us the draft and we will come back with Dr Robertson's changes, so it actually captures the underlying laboratory data.
- A subpoena that returns only the certificate, without the chromatograms and QC records behind it, is a common and expensive false economy.
Why solicitors engage Dr Robertson
- Independent and impartial — instructed directly, not adjusted to suit the instructing party.
- Reports in clear, legally appropriate language a bench can follow.
- Experience across family law, criminal law, workplace matters and tribunals.
- Reports in 10–14 business days, with urgent options where a court date requires it.
- You deal with one point of contact only. After you brief us, we handle all liaison with Dr Robertson, so your matter is not delayed by an expert being in court.
- The opinion and the report are written by him, under his name, for cross-examination.
- Subpoena drafting assistance to obtain the underlying laboratory data.
Next steps
- 1. Prepare the documents above.
- 2. Submit them through the request form, or call.
- 3. We put the material to Dr Robertson, and come back with his quote.
- 4. Once instructions and payment are confirmed the report is his to write, and the 10–14 business days runs from that point. Questions along the way come to us.
Court date approaching?
Tell us the date at first contact. We confirm availability against your deadline, and decline rather than accept work we cannot deliver in time.