GILBERTSONInvestigations Inc. (239) 571-1840
Use of Force
Self-Defense
False Arrest & Search
Criminal-Defense Support
Police Misconduct
Deficient Investigations
Failure to Train & Monell
Agency Training
From the record $640,000 jury verdict, with the jury crediting the expert testimony. Hunter v. City of Federal Way, W.D. Wash.
Retention $9,000 flat fee · discovery review and the written report Full case history Washington casework · The deepest state record Florida practice · Based in Naples For Retaining Counsel The Library · Guides for counsel
The practice The team · Three experts, over 110 years Professor Gregory Gilbertson (Ret.) Sheriff Robert Snaza · Independent consultant FBI Special Agent Christopher Holland (Ret.) · Independent consultant Law enforcement expert witness · What the discipline covers
Gilbertson Investigations Inc. · Self-Defense & Firearms Expert Witness

You Had a Second
to Decide. He Explains It.

Direct line: (239) 571-1840  ·  GregoryGilbertson@proton.me

Attorney and law-firm inquiries only

Firearms · Criminal defense · Stand-your-ground · Home defense

Most self-defense casework here involves a firearm: a lawfully armed person who used or displayed it, and now has to justify a decision made in about a second. The analysis reconstructs that moment on the record and explains it in plain language a jury can follow, measured against the same use-of-force standards applied to police officers.

Discuss a matter Call (239) 571-1840
Practice areasUse of ForceFalse Arrest & SearchPolice MisconductFailure to Train & MonellDeficient InvestigationsSelf-DefenseCriminal-Defense SupportAgency Training
At a Glance

The facts counsel cite.

  • Professor Gregory Gilbertson (Ret.) — thirty-eight years across policing, the Army, the classroom, and investigative casework. Independent consultants are retained case-by-case where the record calls for a second discipline.
  • Retained in more than 220 civil rights and criminal cases across 42 states and the District of Columbia; expert practice since 2014.
  • Professor Gilbertson’s testimony has not been excluded at trial in any state or federal court.
  • Retained by plaintiff’s counsel and by the defense alike, in civil and criminal matters.
  • Fees are published: a $9,000 flat fee covering discovery review and the written expert report — full schedule on For Retaining Counsel.
  • Attorney and law-firm inquiries only; conflicts are checked before any substantive discussion. (239) 571-1840.
The Scope

What the analysis covers.

Individual engagements are scoped with counsel. Go deeper: Civilian & Officer Matters · Stand-Your-Ground & Immunity · Deadly & Non-Deadly Force.

Armed self-defense

  • Firearm and weapons cases
  • Defensive display and discharge
  • Deadly-force and non-deadly-force self-defense
  • Home-defense matters
  • Stand-your-ground matters
  • Duty-to-retreat matters

The analysis

  • Reasonable belief of imminent harm
  • Necessity and proportionality of force
  • Threat assessment
  • Totality-of-circumstances analysis
  • The same standards applied to police use of force

Case types

  • Murder and attempted-murder cases involving self-defense
  • Manslaughter cases
  • Assault and battery cases
  • Self-defense immunity hearings
  • Civilian self-defense
  • Police-officer self-defense
  • Defense of another person

Retained by criminal defense counsel for armed citizens, and in civil matters where a defensive use of force is at issue. A police-practices background matters here: the state's own use-of-force standards are the yardstick a jury understands.

The Engagement

Same discipline, every case.

01 · Conflicts & scope

Conflict check and a written scope with retaining counsel before substantive discussion.

02 · Retention

A non-refundable $9,000 flat fee covering discovery review and the written expert report.

03 · Record & report

The complete record against national standards; most reports finish within the retainer.

04 · Testimony

Deposition, hearings and trial, nationwide from RSW.

Full fee schedule and counsel FAQ: For Retaining Counsel →

From the Record

Related casework.

Criminal defense

State v. Clark

Multnomah County Circuit Court, Oregon

Self-defense testimony for the defense; not guilty on all counts.

Open the case files

Case accounts as published by retaining counsel. Outcomes depend on their facts; no result is promised for any other matter.

From the Library

Working references for this practice area.

Guides for retaining counsel, written from the same record this analysis reads.

Asked OftenStand Your Ground vs. Self-Defense: The DifferenceRead the guideAsked OftenWhat Is the Castle Doctrine?Read the guideThe LexiconSelf-Defense Terms: A Litigator's LexiconRead the guide

The Library, in full

He explained use of force and self-defense in a manner the jury easily understood. His testimony was an integral factor in achieving a not guilty verdict.
Michael A. Blanchard, Attorney at Law · New London, CT
Questions

Asked before the record is sent.

What does a self-defense opinion address?
Whether the force used was consistent with a reasonable belief of imminent harm: necessity, proportionality, threat assessment, and the totality of the circumstances, in criminal and civil matters, including stand-your-ground and immunity hearings.
Do these cases usually involve firearms?
Yes. The criminal self-defense casework is predominantly firearms matters: a lawfully armed person who used or displayed a firearm and is now charged. Cases have included murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, and assault charges where self-defense was the central issue.
Why does a police-practices expert help an armed citizen?
Because the standards are the same ones officers are trained on. Thirty-eight years of teaching and applying use-of-force analysis lets the same framework be explained to a jury deciding whether a civilian's split-second decision was reasonable.
Does he testify for civilians as well as officers?
Yes. Civilian self-defense, police-officer self-defense, and defense of another.
What does retention cost?
A non-refundable $9,000 flat fee covering discovery review and the written expert report, with a bullet-point outline approved with counsel before writing begins. The full published schedule is on the For Counsel page.
Retain

Send a self-defense record.

Attorney and law-firm inquiries only. Conflicts are checked before anything substantive, and you will hear about a conflict immediately.

Self-defense inquiry

For criminal defense counsel and counsel defending officers.

Inquiry sent.

You will hear back directly. If the matter is urgent, call (239) 571-1840.

(239) 571-1840Direct line, Naples, Florida GregoryGilbertson@proton.meDirect email, prefilled for this matter.
Nationwide practiceRetained in 42 states and D.C. · Based in Naples, FL

Conflicts are checked before any substantive discussion. Please do not send privileged material with a first inquiry; after retention the record is exchanged on physical media. Gregory consults for attorneys and their staff only, and does not provide legal advice or attorney referrals to individuals.