TRAINING BUILT FOR YOU
Public Defenders
Make Criminal Defense Investigations Training a Breeze.
Equip your office with the skills to conduct strategic, more thorough investigations—uncovering critical case information and strengthening your team’s ability to support clients—all while saving hundreds of in-house training hours
With the game-changing course, your team gains consistent, high-quality training, giving them the confidence and expertise to build stronger defenses, improve case outcomes, and work more effectively.
WHY THE EXPERT METHOD
We Know What It’s Like
- You want your team to be highly skilled, but training takes time to create, prepare, and facilitate—time you don’t have.
- You don’t have a structured, standardized training program—so everyone learns through trial and error, leading to inconsistency.
- Your senior investigators, paralegals, and attorneys are already overloaded, leaving little bandwidth to train new hires properly.
- Your office hasn’t been able to find a single, consistent, comprehensive resource—just scattered information, leaving gaps in knowledge that impact cases.
- Your paralegals and legal assistants haven’t really received formal training specific to records, backgrounds, and case research—leading to inefficiencies and missed opportunities.
- You find conferences to assist with training, but they can be disappointing, rarely offering investigator-specific training. This means that non-attorney staff sit through sessions meant for attorneys, with few to no practical takeaways.
- You need confident and efficient investigators who don’t second-guess themselves or drop the ball because they didn’t receive proper instruction.
- You know that mistakes can be costly, affecting defense strategy, trial preparation, and ultimately, clients’ lives.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Introducing Advanced Backgrounds, Records and Case Research
This comprehensive course teaches everything from A to Z on the topic. No more piecing information together from multiple sources. It’s been written specifically for criminal defense investigators, paralegals, attorneys, legal assistants and basically anyone involved in Public Defense. The information is tailored for investigative purposes and touches on the topics relevant to this field.
About Course
Strengthen your commitment to a more just criminal legal system by elevating the quality of your staff’s investigation skills.
- This course saves your office time, effort, and uncertainty, so your staff can focus on what matters most: defending your clients.
- Consistently uncover critical evidence that could mean the difference between a strong defense and a wrongful conviction—leading to better case outcomes.
- Ensure that everyone receives the same, high-quality training. Save your office hundreds of hours of in-house training, and use that time to help your clients!
- Level the playing field by equipping your staff with the same high-level training and resources as prosecutorial investigators.
- Give your team access to expert-led, comprehensive instruction that leaves no gaps - no more piecing training together in between case deadlines.
- Avoid wasting precious time and resources chasing dead ends or duplicating efforts.
- Tackle tough cases with confidence and clarity, using proven, best-practice methods so that information is ethically obtained and usable in court.
- Train your attorneys in investigative techniques to better lead their teams, ask the right questions, and use records and research more effectively in their defense strategy.
Who It’s For
What’s in the Course?
No need to reinvent the wheel. We have organized information on all areas of background investigations, criminal history searches, social media and internet reconnaissance that you could possibly need. Here’s our syllabus.
Delve into backgrounds—what they are, why they’re essential, as well as interpreting background database reports and transforming raw data into actionable insights. Learn how to positively identify your subject and avoid gathering intel on the wrong person.
Here, our comprehensive guide to records collection will help you to know what records exist, the difference between public and private records, and how to make airtight requests using our ready-to-use templates. We also cover strategies to avoid potential landmines—you’ll thank us later.
Discover the best hacks for finding and requesting court records and gathering criminal histories that tell a story. Whether it helps or hurts your case, having the complete picture gets you ready for whatever comes next.
Explore the myriad ways of finding subjects and honing in on their most likely location before driving all the way to the wrong address.
Learn about the wealth of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) that is available at your fingertips to help with your case research—without the fruitless Google searches that yield nothing useful.
Make the best possible use of this gold mine for investigators, while navigating the murky waters of online ethics safely.
Bring all the facts about a subject together into a cohesive profile to give the defense team a clear understanding of the person and their story for building a compelling case.
What You’ll Get
Here’s What You Get With the Course
No more piecing together training or pulling senior staff away from casework—this course handles it all while giving your team the skills and confidence they need to perform at their best.
13 Hours of expert-led training. Your staff gets structured, in-depth instruction without disrupting their workload.
Upon successful completion, your staff will earn the Expert Method Background Certified Investigator credential—boosting their credibility, expertise, and confidence.
Case-based training that helps you to learn while seeing how the theory is applied practically, and avoids costly real-life mistakes.
Ready-to-use templates and work product examples to streamline your investigations.
Downloadable PDF guides that you can refer to time and time again.
CE credits (depending on your state).
Accessible online, anytime, anywhere so you can learn at your own pace and minimize disruptions.
Professional Feedback
What People Are Saying About Expert Method
Glenn McClister
I’m a public defender and I also run the advanced investigator training for Kentucky’s statewide public defender system. I can say without qualification that this class is wonderfully designed and produced… full of the kind of practical advice one can only get from seasoned professionals. I highly recommend it!
- Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy
William Jackson
The investment in taking this course is walking away knowing the information obtained will help make a significant impact in the lives of others.
- Talent Consultation Specialist
Eleanor Kagan
Coming from journalism, I thought I knew a fair amount about investigative research, but this course blew my mind wide open. Through in-depth examples and engaging storytelling, I learned so much about the tools, methods, and ethics around background investigations. There’s a real art to this work, and I’m grateful for the supportive, informative, and fun way AKI handed me a paintbrush
- Audio/Radio/Podcast Producer
Megan Wartner
This course equips legal professionals, including paralegals, with the skills to confidently conduct thorough investigations and provide critical support to attorneys in building stronger cases
- Federal Defender Paralegal
Martin de Bourmont
By putting all of these lessons in the context of a case in progress, the investigator learns in a hands-on way that favors retention and understanding.
I cannot recommend this program highly enough.
- Federal Defender Investigator, NJ
What You’ll Learn
Who Will You Learn With?
This course has been developed by Amber Kaset and her growing team at AK Investigations.
Amber founded AK Investigations in 2010, after seven years at the Metropolitan Public Defender in Nashville where she worked as a criminal defense investigator and interpreter. The agency began as a one-woman operation in Nashville, TN, and has since grown to a team of multiple investigators with diverse skills and specialties.
Amber and her team provide investigative services, training, and consulting nationwide, assisting defense teams and investigators in elevating their practice. They have handled over 1,000 cases, including high-profile white-collar crimes and civil lawsuits, hundreds of murders, and over thirty death penalty cases across multiple states, and are dedicated to providing thoughtful, high-quality support tailored to the unique needs of each case, regardless of its complexity or the client’s circumstances.
All of this means that this course is giving you the benefit of more than a thousand cases’ worth of experience, fast-tracking your journey to success.
Pricing
Pricing Options
Bulk discount for organizations
All currently $599 per seat or less!
5-10 seats – $599 $649
11-29 seats – $599
30 plus seats* $549
Access the full course and bonus downloads
Get the Expert Method Background Certified Investigator certificate.
Display our digital badge on your LinkedIn profile.
Enjoy ONE YEAR of unlimited, anytime access!
*Pricing at this tier includes a Customized Investigation Strategy Consultation – a collaborative remote consultation where you set the agenda. Choose to delve deeper into our course content, refine your investigative structures and plans, or explore case-specific consultations—whatever best meets your office’s needs. Leveraging our extensive experience in both government agencies and the private sector, we work closely with you to streamline investigations, optimize resources, and develop customized strategies that drive success.
Special Limited Time Offer
$599 per seat
$899 per seat
Access the full course and bonus downloads
Get the Expert Method Background Certified Investigator certificate.
Display our digital badge on your LinkedIn profile.
Enjoy ONE YEAR of unlimited, anytime access!
Become an Expert Method Early Adopter and enjoy perks like early bird access and exclusive discounts on future courses!
Individual special rate for staff at Public Defenders’ Offices & Non-Profits
$599 per seat
$699 per seat
Access the full course and bonus downloads
Get the Expert Method Background Certified Investigator certificate.
Display our digital badge on your LinkedIn profile.
Enjoy ONE YEAR of unlimited, anytime access!
Claim Your Discount
We offer reduced rates for individuals and bulk seat purchases.
Fill this out and we’ll send you the best offer.
TAKE THE NEXT STEP
This Is Your Chance, Don’t Miss It.
Prosecutors have well-trained investigators—your team deserves the same advantage. This training allows you to easily equip your staff with consistent, high-level instruction in best practices, and the most effective investigative techniques.
This comprehensive training ensures that everyone is on the same page, covering everything they need to know. No more piecemeal training or wasted time—equip your team efficiently, free up senior staff, and strengthen your defense. Smarter investigations mean better outcomes.
