Dr. Elena Ruiz, PhD, CRC
Vocational rehabilitation, earning-capacity, and life care planning for trial counsel.
Vocational rehabilitation, Life care planning, Employability analysis, Earning-capacity assessment, and more. Deposition-tested in federal and state courts and before regulatory agencies.
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.
Vocational rehabilitation
01Evaluation of post-injury work capacity, transferable skills, and labor-market alternatives — calibrated to the jurisdiction's evidentiary standards.
- —Transferable skills
- —Labor-market survey
- —Daubert
Life care planning
02Long-horizon care-needs forecasts grounded in the medical record, peer-reviewed methodology, and current Medicare/private-pay cost data.
- —Long-horizon care
- —Costing
- —Pediatric/adult
Earning-capacity analysis
03Pre- and post-incident earnings trajectories with explicit assumptions, sensitivity tables, and present-value framing.
- —Wage path
- —Sensitivity
- —Present value
Employability analysis
04Reasoned opinions on alternative employment availability — drawing on Department of Labor data and direct labor-market contacts.
- —O*NET
- —Labor-market contact
- —Local data
Credentials
Education
Recognition
Sectors of experience.
Education
- PhD, Rehabilitation Counselor EducationMichigan State University · 2007
- MS, Rehabilitation CounselingSan Diego State University · 2001
- BA, PsychologyUC Santa Barbara · 1999
Selected publications
From retaining counsel.
Attributions are generalized; specific matter details withheld under engagement terms.
Calibrated, calm, and unflappable under cross. Her reports do the explaining the jury needs.
Methodology that survived Daubert without amendments. Materially shaped settlement value.
Exceptional at translating defensible vocational economics for a generalist judge.
Her cross-examination preparation alone was worth the engagement.
Frequently asked questions
- In what types of cases does Dr. Ruiz provide expert testimony?
- Vocational rehabilitation and earning-capacity matters, including catastrophic injury, wrongful termination, and disability accommodation disputes, for both plaintiff and defense at deposition and trial.
- What credentials qualify Dr. Ruiz as a vocational expert?
- A doctorate in rehabilitation counselor education, certification as a Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) and Life Care Planner (CLCP), and two decades of retained case work across California, Nevada, and Arizona.
- How quickly can a preliminary opinion be delivered?
- A preliminary opinion typically follows within two weeks of receiving the complete record. Expedited review is available where trial dates require it.
- Does Dr. Ruiz accept both plaintiff and defense retentions?
- Yes. The practice is deliberately balanced between plaintiff and defense work, and conflict checks typically clear within 48 hours.
Retain Dr. Ruiz
Conflict checks typically clear within 48 hours.