A Look at Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network
Their mission statement is:
"ACLDN provides assistance to members of the legal community who in turn represent those faced with justifiable self-defense criminal charges or civil suits. We are not a group of vigilantes out for revenge, but a support system willing to go the extra mile in the handling of a case involving the use of force in defense of life."
The services provided by ACLDN to member armed citizens who have to use of their firearms in defense of themselves or loved ones from attack or other violent crimes include:
Consultation and/or assistance in selecting a Criminal Defense Attorney
Search for, and contact a local criminal defense attorney for the member.
Obtain and provide to the member-intensive member-only legal information regarding the facts surrounding the shooting incident.
Search and select a civil and/or criminal law expert
After the member’s incident report is reviewed , the member may be referred to a civil and/or criminal law expert for assistance in evaluating the adequacy of legal counsel and/or providing an opinion on whether the facts involve a defensible case.
Legal fees
If the legal defense may be inadequate as determined by the aforementioned functions, ACLDN may help secure a defense attorney and outstanding defense if given enough time before trial. If the incident requires a separate, more detailed criminal and/or civil investigation the Board may authorize payment of ACLDN contributed funds, as opposed to "assistance," to contest the case after extensive research and consultation.
Once the member’s legal case is evaluated and on-going, ACLDN will maintain contact with the member, offer support and legal defense consultation, and help research legal issues for the member and/or the member’s attorney if funds allow.
Member Services and Benefits
A membership in the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network provides support that goes beyond most other self-defense legal plans. Two prospective members can join together as a family, meaning adult children who live at home are covered at no additional charge. Network members pay a minimal monthly fee through an easy, automatic bank debit program. This covers the cost of the legal and expert witness resources as well as case support. Members also pay an initial $50 application fee, which includes a free copy of Andrew Branca’s book, The Law of Self Defense, 3rd Edition. The $50 is refunded upon approval for membership. Members are asked to periodically reinitiate their membership by certifying they have not had any lapse in active status. The cost of the renewal is $25. Membership is open to any individual who is legally eligible to own or possess firearms, and who is not otherwise prohibited. A new member receives access to the personal accounts website as soon as they apply and can begin to review the tutorial materials immediately. Nonetheless, their membership does not become active until they are personally approved by a Network attorney. An applicant who is denied membership can reap the benefits of referral to first-rate self-defense law books and free online videos on self-defense law, but will not have access to legal defense or training funds. Membership in the Network means that if a member is involved in a self-defense incident and it falls within the guidelines for Network coverage, he or she will be assigned a criminal defense attorney with experience in the area of self-defense law. The Network pays for legal services to be on standby 24/7 in case of a self-defense use of force incident. The lawyer will counsel the member on their rights, provide contact information for local investigators and give legal advice. This includes, without limitation, the following: If the member subsequently faces prosecution for a justified self-defense incident, the Network makes a financial commitment to the defense attorney to handle the member’s case from start to finish. Some cases simply need a defense attorney on call to provide legal advice about immediate post-injury statements or how to deal with a particularly aggressive investigator or interrogator, but no criminal charge is ever brought. Other cases go to trial. All cases are very different, and the Network is committed to providing coverage to cases the way the circumstances require.
Member Testimonials
Reviews on the Internet are often biased towards anger or are based on an emotional circus. Even less reliable are reviews of a service or product that are written by a representative of the company themselves. Other times, the reviews are genuine but lacking in detail. This section sets out to address actual civilian defense incidents in which members of the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network were involved.
These are actual testimonials submitted by members of the Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network: I’ve been a member for a couple years. I carry a gun every day- we’re all aware of the societal evils that we face. I would frankly be embarrassed to kneel in front of a jury panel in my suit, as a law abiding citizen, unprepared to defend myself and family. The peace of mind Associated with having quality legal representation is worth whatever the membership cost is. We live in the Chicago area and I’m primarily interested in an attorney who specializes in defending citizens who have been involved in self-defense shootings. As you can imagine, we have a fair number of attorneys who specialize in this. We may, however, just join all of "us" together with a single attorney and provide him/her with a retainer to cover the initial consultation. I did not hesitate to join and could not be happier. In addition, I take a gun class every six months where we do scenarios where we may have to use our weapon. I feel it is my responsibility to be fully prepared with my firearm. This gives me peace of mind I did not think I would ever have. I signed up because I felt a sense of police harassment due to my property and my occupation. I wanted to have the best possible lawyer on hand should this happen again. I have had the unfortunate problem several times of having other people break into my property and destroy personal items, dumping trash and breaking some things. I felt these issues were going to continue to happen and I wanted to be prepared. From the day I joined I have been impressed with the professionalism of all the various individuals on your staff and your ability to understand the issues involved and the process if an incident should occur. I also appreciate, as I am sure all of your members do, the knowledge that you have the best chance possible of being defended should the judicial system be initiated against you for the use of defensive force in order to protect yourself or your family. I’ve been a life member since the beginning, and highly recommend the network to anyone (with a CCW license, of course) who considers themselves a responsible gun owner. And, by the way, I’ve gone for two years now without receiving a single bill from any commercial entity that I participate with in any way. With all the legal protection included in the membership fee, plus the discounts on many products and services I already use, it’s just too good to pass up. I signed up because you really never know when you might need the services of an attorney. I also wanted to have an attorney on file I felt I could trust. Every attorney I met at the annual Rendezvous was knowledgeable and approachable. I became a member because I am convinced that I (and you) may need the services of an attorney as a consequence of having a gun and defending my life and the life of my loved ones. I am thankful the folks at ACLDN exist to help us through what is inevitably going to be an exceedingly difficult time.
Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network Compared Against Alternatives
Armed Citizens is not the only group out there, but it offers the most for the support dollar. Others include:
U.S. Law Shield ($118/year): essentially free legal advice by panel attorneys that tend to favor disarming and often have no experience in fighting criminal cases (see the article on Florida Law Shield’s criminal attorney). Also tends to favor "gun control."
Second Call Defense ($150/year): Criminal defense limited to shooting cases in defense against imminent death or serious bodily injury . Civil suit coverage is limited to $50,000. Benefits of plan are limited to $10,000 for five years. They are not DC based, where many major firearms issues and criminal prosecutions occur.
Legal Shield ($100/month): Available to non-Illinois residents only (other states have various legal limitations on the plan) and have been known to make false representations as to the plan’s features.
Firearms Legal Defense Program ($99/year): Similar to U.S. Law Shield and Second Call Defense, but with a lower level of coverage.
Important Legal Issues for Home Protection
The legal ramifications of using your firearm for self-defense can be bleak – they can affect all aspects of your life for years or decades after the incident, including jail, prison, bankruptcy, and confronting potential lawsuits. All of these issues combine to make the pursuit of a lawful and ethical defensive use of force a horrible hassle, at best. The cost of armed citizen litigation is severe; representing the costs of pre-trial, trial, and appellate litigation can easily eclipse $100,000, even if you are exonerated, and even if your actions in self-defense were otherwise justifiable. If you are convicted and have limited assets, a local public defender may be appointed. Now – say you’re financially ruined due to legal fees, or still working off that $50,000 mortgage on your house, or even working as a clerk at your local Wal-Mart because of the stigma attached to having defended yourself in court – how are you going to counter the inevitable lawsuit brought by the gangbanger’s relatives who are trying to establish that he was a law-abiding citizen, just working as a night-shift bicycle messenger and collecting comic books, and that in fact YOU caused him the injuries that resulted in his death? Or, how can you absolutely avoid having to deal with civil litigation if you are exonerated but a well-heeled family member of one of the dirtbags you shot decides to sue you anyway? How are you going to gain access to the necessary experts, investigators, and chemists required to shatter the forensics arguments of your opponents in court or in private arbitration? The Network recognizes that the need for criminal defense never seems to end, despite what some might think – so they issue a membership card to all new members that has the following script on its reverse side: THIS CARD CAN BE USED TO IDENTIFY YOU AS A MEMBER OF THE ARMED CITIZENS LEGAL DEFENSE NETWORK™, WHO MAY BE ABLE TO ASSIST YOU IN THE DEFENSE OF A CRIMINAL CHARGE ARISING OUT OF AN ACT OF SELF-DEFENSE OR DEFENSE OF OTHERS OR YOUR PROPERTY. This card is not a substitute for legal counsel. IF AN INCIDENT OCCURS, SEEK THE SERVICES OF AN ATTORNEY IMMEDIATELY. When and where possible, show this card and advise counsel that ACLDN™ may provide a cash advance on your behalf. Counsel should contact ACLEIF for assistance. Advancing funds to cover bail bondsman fees, attorney retainer fees, forensic musicologists to validate the Boo-Yak Clan’s rap video, or the hottest expert on multiple-impactor firearm injuries are all legitimate uses for ACLDN funds. In the future, I’ll be providing a few case studies that discuss incidents and trials we have paid for, along with problems and issues that arose during the course of each one.
Is it Worth Joining Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network
With the information and resources we discussed above and available on the ACLDN website, is membership worth $49? I think so. The cost of planning and funds required to defend even a good case can be astronomical. While ACLDN does not replace a local attorney, it helps you and your attorney with resources and outside counsel for that case. The available resources should prepare the member for the possibility of the need to make the call to the legal defense hotline. The resources provide the members a view of how the process works so that when you do find yourself calling the hotline, you have very specific tasks in mind for the attorney on the other end of the line. As I said in the previous section, you are sitting across the table from a prosecutor who wants to convict you . You may have a great case on the law, case facts, or the legality of the evidence. You may also be able to buy a self-defense expert to come testify for you, but in the end, very few juries really care about legal arguments and very few really care what an expert has to say if they don’t believe you were in fear of death or great bodily injury. ACLDN membership provides members with a firearm insurance and education program that is worth more than $49 annually. Consider the amount of money one might pay for a concealed carry course, liability and gun owner defense insurance, tuition for an advanced self-defense course, ammunition, travel time, meals, hotel, etc. to take a self-defense course. In my mind ACLDN is worth the money.