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 $8,000–$9,000 retainer · 29–33 hours at $275/hr Full case history For Retaining Counsel
Gilbertson Investigations Inc. · Self-Defense & Firearms Expert Witness

You Had a Second
to Decide. He Explains It.

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

Attorney and law-firm inquiries only

Practice areasUse of ForceFalse Arrest & SearchPolice MisconductFailure to Train & MonellDeficient InvestigationsSelf-DefenseCriminal-Defense SupportAgency Training
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

Retainer of $8,000–$9,000 covering 29–33 hours at $275 per hour.

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.

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 retainer of $8,000–$9,000 covering 29–33 hours of discovery review, report writing and conferences at $275 per hour. Most reports are completed within the retainer. 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.