CCW Safe’s Police Union Model: Part 6- Trial Phase Expenses

Being sued after a self defense incident can be almost as stressful as defending your life the first time in the physical realm.  Defending such a case can not only force you and those close to you to relive the incident, but it can also be financially crippling if you do not have a contingency plan. If you are unfortunate enough to go to trial on a self defense case, the $55k to $179k bill that you have racked up to this point will only grow larger.  In fact, at this point, you will most likely be starting off with another $100k for attorneys fees as you move into the trial phase.

We have been discussing the different components involved in defending a self defense case, and today we will finish with other trial related expenses.  There can be numerous different trial related expenses, but today we are just going to concentrate on three.  Jury exhibits, jury consultants and social media experts.

Jury Exhibits:  Jury exhibits can be crucial to making the jury understand the intricacies of your case.  One great solution that we use is called Trial SWAT.  The TrialSWAT team collaborates with attorneys and their clients to deliver efficient, high-tech, tactical support to ensure the best delivery of effective jury trial messaging.  Trial SWAT is one way that we can better manage the cost of exhibits, but even in doing this, it can still be a significant cost.  Trial SWAT can add $2k right off the bat, and can range up to $5k or more, depending on the needs of the case.

Jury consultation:  Jury consultation is often another priority in a self defense case, especially if the case has gained a lot of media attention.  Any jury should consist of reasonable people who will make the best decision based on the evidence, rather than personal opinions.  To get those individuals as the jury is key, and that is where a jury consultant can be worth their weight in gold.

Social Media experts: Social Media experts can work with the jury consultation in exposing potential jurors personal beliefs and opinions, and can also be helpful dealing with media bias.  In one particular case that I am personally aware of,  a potential juror was found in contempt after lying about her opinions and statements about a particular case.

These often much needed trial related expenses might not be as much as experts or investigators, but they can still play a big role in your overall defense.  These three trial related expenses can easily add $10k or more to your overall trial costs.

So let’s finalize the comparison based on these figures.  The last component, being experts, left the out of pocket range of other coverages from $55k to $179k.  Adding these trial expenses would raise that out of pocket range from $65k to $189k.  Add on the trial phase cost for the attorney, the final criminal defense out of pocket cost on other coverages would be anywhere from $150k to $289k. 

This is why it is so important for CCW Safe to have an unlimited funding mechanism for our members. Remember, every self defense shooting will be investigated, and each one will be exained under a microscope. If special interest groups get involved, then it will be scrutinized even further.  Thank you for your time, and stay safe!