Our Services
Case Reviews
and Consults
Child Abuse
Allegations
Trial Services
Mental Health Ethics
Our Vision
The use of doctoral level psychological consultants & expert witnesses is increasingly recognized as a critical component of a successful legal strategy in civil, criminal, and domestic family cases involving pediatric mental health issues.
Orion’s forensic practice focuses on translating complex psychological concepts into
clear, accessible language to assist the court in understanding discovery and evaluation
findings and to reduce potential stress for children involved in litigation.
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Legal matters in criminal, civil and educational settings involving children and teens are often contentious, heartbreaking, and emotional which often results in further trauma for the children we are trying to protect.
Cultural and political issues often rear their ugly heads into these matters which can often result in further traumatization of children, which often results in judges, juries, and school administrators reaching inaccurate conclusions not based on science and factual evidence.
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Orion Forensic consultants assist civil family law, criminal defense attorneys, State District Attorneys’ Offices and education administrators with a wide range of issues that often arise in criminal, divorce, & education advocacy cases.
Our unique and broad pediatric forensic & paralegal experiences, prior clinical therapy and assessment expertise in child and teen behavior, as well as our practical life experiences provides psychological insight for triers of facts in the courtroom.
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Meet The Team
Dr. Gary Thompson
Trial Consultant
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Dr. Thompson has testified in criminal, civil, family law and educational advocacy settings since 2010 on issues focused primarily on the pediatric population. Dr. Thompson is a court recognized expert on effects of sexual abuse, psychological assessments, mental illness diagnoses, cognitive issues related to children’s memory, false sex abuse allegations, and other subject matters (See C.V.).
Earning and maintaining the fact finders trust is paramount to an expert’s effectiveness. Dr. Thompson’s relatable and straightforward approach helps him connect with jurors from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds, allowing him to share his expertise in a manner that is both easily understood and highly trusted.
Dr. Thompson completed his forensic trauma clinical residency in San Francisco, CA prior to relocating his family and professional duties to Salt Lake City, Utah. He is looking forward to relocating early 2023 to Summerlin, Nevada.
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Dr. David Judd
Trial Consultant
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Dr. David Judd is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. Dr. Judd joins us from Early Life Child Psychology and is the President and CEO of Early Life in the Santa Clarita Valley in Southern California. He is a long-time resident of Valencia, CA, where he resides with his wife and five children.
David received his Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Phillips Graduate Institute. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brigham Young University and his Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Utah.
Over the past several years, David has administered over 100 educational, psychological, and psycho-educational assessments for school-aged children, adolescents, and adults.
In addition to assessment services, he has also conducted individual and family psychotherapeutic services for children, adolescents, and adults, including couples. David has worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community clinics, university counseling centers, detention facilities, and in private practice. While completing his pre-doctoral internship from 2009 to 2010 with the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) in Tarzana, CA, David was able to perform psycho-educational assessments and behaviorally based in-home therapy with children with Autism. David also has experience providing services to clients on issues related to substance abuse, domestic violence, depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment, personality disorders, relational difficulties, learning disorders, and Autism.

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Tara Lynn Semanski, M.A.
Forensic Clerk/ Research Fellow
Ms. Semanski joined Orion’s staff after being convinced (“begged”) to postpone her doctoral-level clinical psychology graduate school journey for a few years.
Tara Lynn’s academic and research specialties are centered around child development and memory issues. She provides a “second set of eyes” for Dr. Thompson and trial lawyers via her review of evidence
submissions.
In addition to providing detailed notes and commentary of witnesses during jury trials, Ms. Semanski currently maintains one of the country's largest and most up-to-date peer-reviewed research journal libraries of pediatric forensic subject matters relevant to our current caseload.
Brook Wardle
Chief Operations Officer/ Partner
Mr. Wardle joined us at Orion, Inc after spending many years as the Chief Operating Officer for Early Life Child Psychology Utah-California.
Brook's job is to ensure that operations are run smoothly, ethically, and that the experience for lawyers using our services are seamless, fair and efficient.
Brook is a father of 3 daughters and resides in West jordan with his wife of 37 years. He loves to travel and spend time caring for his aging parents.
Contact
Orion
Forensics
Use this calendar to schedule an initial consultation with Dr. Thompson. (To protect the integrity of your case we only speak with counsel)
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