AELE Expert Witness/Litigation Consultant Listing

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Note: This expert is an AELE Certified Litigation Specialist

Name: W. Ken Katsaris

Current employer or professional affiliation:

Self employed as Consultant, Trainer, and Litigation Consultant

Address: 110-A South Monroe St.

Tallahassee, FL 32301

Tel: (850) 224-2929

Fax: (850) 224-2828 or 850-309-1074

E-mail: wkenkatsaris@gmail.com

Internet Website: http://www.katsaris.info/

(1) Relevant prior and part-time employment, with dates:

Academic/Training  Experience:

• Chair/professor, Dept. of Criminal Justice, Tallahassee Community College (1966-76).
• Instructor - Florida Highway Patrol Academy legal rights and procedures, pursuits, use of force and other topics part-time (1967-1997).
• Instructor, Pat Thomas Regional Law Enforcement Academy (Tallahassee) crisis and suicide intervention, law of arrest and search/seizure, patrol procedures, vehicle stops/pursuits/emergency response, use of force/firearms, and other topics.
• Senior faculty member for

      AELE Workshop on Jail and Prison Legal Issues

AELE Workshop on Police Civil Liability and Defense of Misconduct Complaints

AELE Workshop on Critical Incident Response: Management and Legal Liability

Practical Experience:

• St. Petersburg, FL Police Dept. (Officer, 1962-66).
• Tallahassee, FL Police Dept. (Officer, 1975-77).
• Florida Highway Patrol

FHP Academy (Instructor, part-time, 1968-97);
Advisor to the Director (part-time, 1981-93).

• Leon County Sheriff's Dept. (Tallahassee, FL)

Sheriff (Elected office, 1977-81);
Instructor/trainer sworn Deputy Sheriff (part-time 1997-to present).

• Florida Dept. of Corrections (Asst. to the Director, 1981-82).

(2) Degrees and relevant special training:

• A.A. (Police Administration) St. Petersburg Jr. College.
• B.S. (Criminology) Florida State University.
• M.S. (Criminology) Florida State University.
• Postgraduate studies (Public Administration) Nova University

(3) Other professional activities:

• Certified Florida police officer
• Certified Florida law enforcement and corrections instructor

(4) Retainer information:

     For the plaintiff: 30 - 40 % (varies by year, for last 5-7years)                                                                                                           

     For the defendant: 60 % -70% (varies by year, for last 5-7years)

     Over the last twenty years the ratio between plaintiff and defense is approximately 50%-50%

(5) Name, address and telephone of attorneys who may be contacted as references:

      I have been hired in every state; I will submit a list of counsel on request.

(6) Publications that contain your paid advertisements (since 1996):

• Trial magazine (American Trial Lawyers Assn.)
• For the Defense (Defense Research Institute)

(7) Usual and customary fee:

• Case evaluation and opinion: $6,000 minimum fee for file review. This includes phone conferences and a detailed evaluation and opinion, including relevant standards, training material and guidelines. If, because of the size of the file, more than 25 hours are needed for review time, the hourly rate will be $250 in addition to the minimum fee.  *For complete details, contact Ken Katsaris for a written fee agreement that must be executed at the time of retention.
• On-site investigation: $1,500 per day
• Deposition: $2,000 per day, one day minimum
• Trial: $2,500 per day on the stand, $1500 standby fee.  Once at the site to testify, the minimum fee is $2500. *cancellation fees apply (request fee schedule)
• Travel is in addition for each of the above.

(8) Areas of Expertise and Experience:

Note - Letter codes used in front of the subject mean:

[ T ] Testified in court or at depositions on the subject;

[ R ] Retained as a consultant, but have not testified on the subject.

[ Q ] Qualified to testify or consult on the subject, but have not served as a paid consultant.

[ T ] Administrative negligence [failure to direct, inadequate supervision]
[ T ] Agency policies, practices and customs
[ T ] Batons, flashlights and other impact weapons
[ T ] Campus rapes and assaults
[ T ] Chemical irritants & electrical weapons
[ T ] Deadly force; shooting avoidance and alternatives
[ T ] Emergency procedures - jails and prisons
[ T ] Employment discrimination (hiring/promotions) or sexual harassment
[ T ] Failure to protect specific persons (domestic violence, witnesses, etc.)
[ T ] In-custody inmate/prisoner suicides (and prevention methods)
[ T ] Inadequate premises security (guards,  locks, lighting, etc.)
[ T ] Injuries to / physical or sexual assaults on inmates and prisoners
[ T ] Insufficient or inadequate training
[ T ] Internal affairs investigations
[ T ] Jail medical procedures
[ T ] K9 deployment and training
[ T ] Neck restraints and similar defensive tactics
[ T ] Poor or inadequate conditions in jails and correctional facilities
[ T ] Prisoner transport, restraints, handcuffing, hog-tying
[ T ] Psychological screening of employees
[ T ] Racial profiling litigation
[ T ] Retention of a known unfit employee or negligent entrustment of a weapon
[ T ] Standards for discipline, internal affairs procedures, (in)adequate punishment
[ T ] SWAT techniques, hostage & barricade situations
[ T ] Use of police informants
[ T ] Vehicle pursuit & emergency response policies & techniques
[ T ] Warrant service arrest and search warrants

(9) Other information relevant in evaluating your services (publications, awards, achievements, special interests)

• Retained and evaluated more than 500 cases in all 50 states, Dist. of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.
• I maintain an extensive library of standards, training material and guidelines.

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