I am thinking about joining one of the organizations offering legal help and funds for my defense if I'm involved in a self-defense shooting.
Disclaimer: I am a court certified use of force expert and have worked cases for some of the organizations you mention, as well as others. Most of my work actually comes from private defense attorneys, prosecutors, and even individuals rather than an organization though.
Many private citizens and defense attorneys actually contract with me in advance. I just wanted to be up front about that.
Organizations such as the ACLDN have merits so I will not detract from them. I believe they have a very good intent and some good backers. They, and others like them, do have limitations though.
It is true that in most cases, assuming that it is apparent self defense, that they will place a certain amount of money down on an attorney, and perhaps offer additional grants from time to time, though not guaranteed. There are a couple of more things to keep in mind.
Though they are working to try and expand (I am referencing ACLDN here), they may not have an attorney in your area. Travel for an attorney can eat a lot out of that $10,000 very quickly. Even if they do have one in your area, attorneys differ in their costs substantially. Cost is not necessarily a reflection of value. Example: You could have two equally capable attorneys but one will ultimately require a $10,000 retainer fee (not out of the ordinary) while another will require nothing up front if they truly believe that your case is self defense. Some then charge a flat fee of roughly $25,000 (again not out of the ordinary) while others charge by the hour, which may not reach anywhere near $25,000 if you are ultimately not charged and could be substantially more if you go to trial. What I am saying is this, $10,000 is nice to have and a good number to hear but another reputable attorney retained privately by you may ultimately cost less, perhaps substantially less, dependent on the above factors.
Their cost of membership also may not include expert witness testimony. Read carefully. I know that some of these organizations work with a number of respected names (myself included), but there are other experts that, just like the attorneys, charge nowhere near the amount for the same services and have just as good of a record in actual court. Keep in mind that a jury has likely never heard of the big name anyway. It may mean something to you but it likely means little to anyone else.
Here is my recommendation. Research and interview a couple of defense attorneys in your local area. Do your best to find one that is pro-gun. Believe me, it does make a difference. Your local shooting range may actually know of one. You can also contact your local police union. Larger agencies generally employ a private attorney that works on behalf of officers involved in shootings. Since many of them are also in private practice they make good choices.
Often overlooked, I believe it is a very good idea for you to have an expert witness on hand. Again, full disclosure, I am one and accept up front agreements. Expert witnesses can be very costly, are not always even thought of by the defense attorney, and can literally make the difference between going to prison and going home. For those that work with me, their paid annual fee for the services agreement covers their initial case review (prosecutors often choose to charge/decline based upon my initial review while defense attorneys make decisions based upon it about your defense as well). It also reduces their daily fee should I be called to court.
So that is basically the "insurance" coverage that I recommend. 1) Interview your attorney up front 2) Seriously consider enlisting the services of an expert witness.
Please do not take any of that as bad mouthing any other organization offering such services. If their services meet your needs then I highly encourage your participation. Simply do your research and understand their limitations as you do mine or that of any organization for that matter.
Obviously I feel strongly about the matter. I do not believe in self defense insurance per se for the private citizen, but I do believe in surviving not only physically and mentally, but legally as well.