Child Forensic Interviewer

Position: Independent Contractor

Reports to: Director of Operations / CEO

Supervisory responsibilities: None

Travel: Out-of-state travel, including air travel, is a requirement of this role. Flexibility regarding testimony scheduling is essential.

Pay scale: $100.00 – $150.00/hour base rate, depending on service type, plus a 100% completion payment — $200.00 – $300.00/hour effective. Testimony is paid at a flat half-day rate and travel time at a reduced rate, as set out in the full rate schedule below.

Engagement type: Independent contractor (reported on IRS Form 1099-NEC). This is not an employment position; no employee benefits are provided.

About the Company

Godoy Medical Forensics, Inc. is a rapidly growing legal consulting company that provides medical expert witness services to attorneys, primarily in criminal cases. Founded in 2009, we have evolved into a prominent consulting firm with a diverse team of experts, including physicians, toxicologists, forensic interviewers, and Registered Nurses (RNs). We offer expert opinions in numerous forensic areas, including sexual assault, child abuse, gunshot wounds, assault, DUI, and homicide cases. We are retained by both the prosecution and the defense, with a significant portion of our cases coming from defense attorneys. Join us as we continue to expand our influence in the field of forensic consultation and expert testimony.

Job Overview

We are seeking an experienced child forensic interviewer to provide expert consultation and testimony services as an independent contractor. In this role you will evaluate the quality of child forensic interviews conducted by others — assessing adherence to recognized protocols and professional standards — and communicate your findings to attorneys, judges, and juries.

This is a distinctive opportunity to apply your interviewing expertise in a legal setting. You will review recorded interviews and written reports, evaluate question type and structure, and identify issues such as suggestive or leading questioning, contamination, the effects of repeated interviews, caregiver influence, and departures from accepted practice. Your work directly informs how courts understand the reliability of a child’s statements.

The interviews you review may have been conducted by trained forensic interviewers or, depending on the jurisdiction, by patrol officers, detectives, or child protective services staff. In either case the work is quality assurance: ensuring your peers are meeting the standards your field has established, so that a child’s statements can be reliably assessed. A poorly conducted interview can render a truthful disclosure unusable in court.

The ideal candidate possesses strong critical thinking skills, deep familiarity with the peer-reviewed literature on child development, memory, suggestibility, and disclosure processes, and the ability to render objective opinions regardless of which party has retained us.

In addition to case work, you will have the opportunity to share your expertise through Continuing Legal Education (CLE) presentations, delivered as webinars or in-person sessions, aimed at educating legal professionals on best practices in child forensic interviewing. This role offers a flexible part-time consultancy arrangement, allowing you to balance other commitments.

Essential Functions

• Interview Review & Analysis: Review video recordings, transcripts, and written reports of child interviews — conducted by forensic interviewers, law enforcement, or child protective services — along with related discovery materials.
• Protocol & Standards Assessment: Evaluate interviews for adherence to recognized forensic interview protocols and current professional standards, and document specific departures.
• Report Writing: Prepare comprehensive written reports and expert opinions based on interview review and analysis.
• Expert Testimony: Provide expert testimony at depositions, trials, and other legal proceedings via telephone, video conference, or in-person appearance.
• Case Consultation: Collaborate with attorneys to provide subject-matter expertise and strategic insight, including assistance identifying issues for cross-examination.
• Continuing Legal Education: Deliver CLE presentations to legal professionals, by webinar or in person, and develop new presentation content when requested and authorized in advance.
• Professional Development: Stay current with literature, research, and developments in child forensic interviewing, child abuse dynamics, and disclosure.
• Documentation: Maintain detailed time records and submit accurate invoices in accordance with company procedures.
• Travel: Travel out of state, including by air, for testimony and case-related work, accommodating changes to court schedules with reasonable notice.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education, Experience and Skills

Education & Training

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree in social work, psychology, counseling, criminal justice, or a related field preferred.

• Documented completion of a forensic interview training curriculum recognized by National Children’s Alliance for CAC accreditation, including NCA-approved state curricula.
• Current professional license or certification in good standing, where applicable to your discipline.
• Maintenance of appropriate certifications and continuing education requirements.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience conducting child forensic interviews, with a documented volume of interviews completed.
• Experience in a Children’s Advocacy Center, multidisciplinary team, child protective services, or law enforcement setting.
• Prior experience testifying in court strongly preferred.
• Previous expert witness or forensic consultation experience preferred.
• Experience developing or delivering training or CLE presentations preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Profound understanding of trauma-informed practices and child development.
• Working knowledge of recognized forensic interview protocols and the peer-reviewed literature on memory, suggestibility, and disclosure.
• Ability to explain complex interviewing and child development concepts in layman’s terms.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain strict objectivity and to render opinions for either the prosecution or the defense.
• Confidence articulating and defending an evidence-based opinion under cross-examination.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Professional demeanor and appearance for testimony.
• Attention to detail and accuracy in documentation.
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines without oversight.
• Proficiency with video review platforms, electronic case files, and computer systems.

Compensation Structure

*Completion Payment: Upon successful closure of the case per the attorney, contractor receives a completion payment equal to 100% of all amounts previously billed and approved by Company (see table above for specific amounts).

**Continuing Legal Education: CLE work is not case-based, so no completion payment applies and CLE is paid at the full pre-trial rate of $200.00/hour. Delivering a presentation is compensated as one hour per presentation. Time spent developing new content is compensated separately at the same rate and must be authorized in advance. Where you present material that already exists, only delivery time is paid.

All time is billed in 15-minute increments.

Other Job Requirements

Home Office Requirements

• Dedicated, quiet, and distraction-free working space.
• Access to a high-speed internet connection capable of streaming and reviewing video recordings.
• Ability to maintain a professional appearance and environment during video conferences and remote testimony.
• Secure storage for sensitive and confidential case materials involving minors.
• Availability to accept cases on short notice when needed.

Travel & Availability Requirements

• Ability and willingness to travel out of state, including by air, for testimony and case-related work.
• Availability to travel with reasonable notice. While our office staff makes every effort to provide advance notice, court calendars change frequently and travel may be confirmed or rescheduled on short notice.
• Flexibility regarding testimony scheduling is essential. Trial dates are routinely continued, advanced, or cancelled by the court or the client. Clients are permitted to reschedule a confirmed testimony date up to 5 business days from the originally requested date.
• Willingness to hold and protect scheduled testimony dates on your calendar, and to remain available throughout an assigned trial window.
• Ability to be away overnight, and for more than one day where a trial requires it.
• A valid driver’s license, required for driving on company business, together with identification meeting current TSA requirements for domestic air travel — either a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or a valid passport.
• Personal automobile liability insurance in effect, as driving may be required for company purposes, including travel to courthouses, airports, and other case-related destinations. Proof of license and insurance must be furnished upon request.
• Travel is booked through our office staff whenever possible. Travel time and travel expenses are reimbursed in accordance with the rate schedule above; a cancellation payment applies when testimony is cancelled within 10 business days of the scheduled date.

Professional Requirements

• Maintain current professional liability insurance — specifically errors and omissions (E&O) coverage for professional consulting services. This is not clinical malpractice insurance, and coverage provided by your primary employer generally will not satisfy this requirement, as most employer policies exclude outside independent consulting work.
• Comply with all confidentiality and non-disclosure requirements, including those specific to records involving minors.
• Maintain professional standards and ethical conduct.

Physical Demands

Sitting/Standing/Walking: Must be able to sit at a computer for extended periods while reviewing recorded interviews, and stand or walk during court appearances.

Speaking/Hearing: Ability to effectively communicate with clients, attorneys, and colleagues via phone, video conference, and in-person meetings, and to accurately hear and interpret recorded audio.

Vision: Must be able to see details on computer screens, read printed materials, and observe non-verbal behavior on video recordings.

Manual Dexterity: Ability to operate a computer and video review software for extended periods.

What We Offer

• Marketing Support: We promote your expertise to potential clients and help showcase your qualifications to expand your professional network.
• Administrative Support: Our team handles all billing, funding, and paperwork coordination. We serve as the primary contact for clients regarding contracts, discovery, and administrative matters, allowing you to focus on your area of expertise.
• Streamlined Payment Processing: We offer secure direct deposit payments through Melio, a trusted online platform, for convenient and timely compensation.
• Completion Payment: A completion payment equal to 100% of all previously billed and approved amounts upon successful closure of the case, effectively doubling your compensation.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for continued learning and growth in forensic consultation through exposure to diverse and challenging cases.
• Speaking Platform: A paid platform to deliver CLE presentations to attorneys, building your professional profile in the legal community.
• Expert Network: Access to collaborate with a network of medical and forensic professionals across multiple specialties.
• Cancellation Payment: Cancellation payment provided if testimony is cancelled within 10 business days of the scheduled date.
• Case Variety: Exposure to diverse and interesting cases across multiple legal areas.

Godoy Medical Forensics, Inc. welcomes qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.