Fee Schedule

Thank you for considering me for your forensic needs, which can include consultation, testimony and risk assessment. If you determine that I am “Relevant and Necessary” to your case (MRE § 401), please consider these options for how I might best assist your team and the trier-of-fact.

I. Travel days

Paying for an expert’s travel time is customary practice. For comparison purposes, during the past decade the Convening Authority (CA) for the United States Air Force always paid for my travel according to the terms of my fee schedule (in over 70 GCMs).

II. Reimbursement for Travel and Lodging

Because of a physical handicap (bad right knee) I typically arrange for my own flight, car rental and lodging, and submit receipts for reimbursement according to the Joint Travel Regulation (JTR, 2024). Managing my own travel allows for greater efficiency and accommodation (accessible seating on the plane, a manageable car rental, and handicap equipped hotel rooms). Typically a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and/or a judge’s order allows for reimbursement for my flight, car rental, per diem for meals, and the lesser of actual cost for lodging according to the JTR.

III. Pretrial On-site Consultation

I am often on-site one-to-two days prior to trial to assist with witness interviews, helping you develop your theory of the case, murder boarding, etc.).

IV. Trial Consultation / Testimony

The CA or judge normally authorizes the estimated number of days for attending the trial phase. In estimating days needed, please consider that the complaining witness often refuses to conduct a pretrial interview with the defense counsel. OR the defendant will take the stand but not provide a pretrial interview. This means the first opportunity for defense or government to hear testimony from across the aisle is in the trial itself. Also, other witness’s often provide court testimony that is substantially different than their report to OSI / NCIS a year prior. If I am present during testimony I can provide real-time consultation and be better informed for my subsequent testimony (“Dr. Simpson, were you here when LCpl Jones testified yesterday?”).

Please bear in mind I only bill according for actual days of service, i.e. if I have been authorized for six (6) days of service but was only needed for four (4) days, I only submit a bill for four (4) days. Likewise, if I am preauthorized for a day of sentencing but the defendant is acquitted, I don’t bill for the extra day of sentencing. Preauthorizing for more days, rather than less, helps to avoid the awkward in-court request to provide additional funding for my services.

V. The Sentencing Phase

Since 2000 I have regularly provided sentencing testimony for defense in numerous state, federal and military trials. In civilian courts I conduct a risk assessment of the accused weeks or months prior to a possible conviction and sentencing phase. But for military courts-martial my assessment has to accommodate my first role as a testifying expert. Right after I have completed my testimony,

I can then complete my risk assessment. My sentencing report and focuses on the accused’s potential recidivism for sexual offense or physical violence. This is a topic I have taught for the State Bar of Arizona and is available for your review here: https://arizonaforensics.com/psychosexual-risk-evaluations/. Obviously this is not a concern if I am assisting government in a GCM.

VI. The Numbers

HG Experts (at HGExperts.com) notes the following:

“Experts are differently efficient, experienced, able to focus on what’s important. Those skills drive costs. Fees per hour do not. A $400/hour expert may take 30 hours ($12,000) to accomplish what the $600/hour expert does in 10 hours ($6,000.). Skill, experience, and efficiency drive time and cost. Not an hourly rate. The $600/hour expert might make a powerful impression on the jury. The less expensive expert’s rate may reflect very little testimony experience. This means you are a guinea pig. In Court, do you want the lowest bidder?”

HG Experts describes typical fee schedules.

“10 years or more of medicolegal experience with testimony experience and a strong reputation: $800-$1200/hour.

This category includes doctors at the top of their field, who are respected for their forensic opinions. They may be a specialist in a single feature, like PTSD. Such a person can charge $1,000 or more per hour.

Testimony Rates: Expert Witnesses charge more for testimony, usually $200 above their base fee. A daily minimum is sometimes required which can mean a day of testimony is $4,000-10,000/day-even if testimony is scheduled in the afternoon and the expert is pushed to the next day.

If the expert has issued a good report and held their own in deposition, they are a contributing factor in settlement negotiations, as is the anticipated cost of testimony.” https://www.hgexperts.com/expert-witness-articles/hiring-a-forensic-physician-what-will-it-cost-54409

Here is my fee schedule. Please note that I never “double-bill” for my services. For instance, if I am being paid for a day of attending trial and I conduct a risk assessment of the defendant that night, I do not charge for the additional hours evaluation. Another example is when I charge one day of travel, it includes flying and driving time.

Pre-trial consultation / and psych evaluation by the hour$320
Travel by the hour in a car (if I am not flying to the location)$100
Travel by plane (per day of travel)$3200
Onsite trial attendance / consultation / deposition / testimony per day$3200
*Updated May 28, 2024

VII. Summary

Thank you for considering me for your forensic needs. It is my privilege to serve the trier-of-fact and assist a trial team or defense. If you decide to request my services, please give consideration to the following: 

  1. Two (2) days of travel according to my published fee schedule.
  2. Reimbursement for my flight, car rental, per diem for meals, and the lesser of actual cost for lodging according to the JTR.
  3. One (1) day of pretrial consultation.
  4. At least five (5) days for trial consultation and testimony (with only the actual days utilized being billed for)./
  5. One (1) day for sentencing.

Please contact me with any questions you might have.