Dr. Elena Ruiz, PhD, CRC

Vocational rehabilitation, earning-capacity, and life care planning for trial counsel.

About

Dr. Elena Ruiz is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and life care planner with two decades of experience translating medical and vocational evidence into defensible expert opinions. She has been retained in plaintiff and defense matters across California, Nevada, and Arizona, with a practice concentrated on catastrophic personal injury, wrongful termination, and disability accommodation disputes. Dr. Ruiz writes and teaches regularly on the intersection of vocational theory and modern labor markets.

Areas of expertise

Vocational rehabilitation

Life care planning

Employability analysis

Earning-capacity assessment

Loss-of-household-services

Labor-market surveys

Credentials

Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) — CRCC (2008)
Certified Life Care Planner (CLCP) — ICHCC (2011)
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) — State of California (2007)

Education

PhD, Rehabilitation Counselor Education
Michigan State University · 2007
MS, Rehabilitation Counseling
San Diego State University · 2001
BA, Psychology
UC Santa Barbara · 1999

Selected publications

Earning-Capacity Analysis After Catastrophic Injury: A Framework for Trial Counsel, Journal of Forensic Vocational Analysis (2023)
Remote Work and Modern Labor-Market Surveys, Rehabilitation Professional (2022)
Life Care Plans in the Era of Bundled-Payment Health Care, The Rehabilitation Professional (2021)
Vocational Evaluation of Traumatic Brain Injury: A Practitioner's Guide, Aspen Professional Services (2019)

Contact

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (562) 555-0142
Location: Long Beach, CA

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