LITIGATION SUPPORT

Why Use Litigation Support Services?

Litigation is often expensive and complex. When building a case the stakes are high and leave no margin for error. Litigation can result in business interruption, reputational damage, lost revenue, seizure of assets, large fees, and even the loss of entire businesses. A skilled and experienced investigative team can provide invaluable support to legal counsel by delivering hard to find detailed, accurate and verifiable information.

Benefits of Legal Investigators and Litigation Support Teams

Confidentiality

When hired by attorneys and law firms to prepare for trial, deposition, or other legal matters, investigators, as agents of an attorney, enjoy a privileged relationship with their clients. Communications between clients and investigators are protected as privileged communications and cannot be divulged to third parties. When legal investigators, as agents of an attorney, interview potential witnesses or parties, the product of those interviews is considered a privileged attorney work product that cannot be subpoenaed in other proceedings.

Cross-Industry Experience

Legal investigators draw from several professional backgrounds in addressing the needs of varying litigation matters. Our investigators have experience in a variety of fields including law enforcement, private security, finance, law, investigative journalism, and government agencies. Investigators approach trial matters from several angles, they draw on a wealth of practical, real-world experience in conjunction with their individual backgrounds in related industries. Investigative field-work and research analysis provide strong backbones to the discovery process of almost any legal case and the combination of instinct, resources, and industry familiarity that legal investigators have compliments any work done by attorneys.

Access to Proprietary Resources and Intelligence Trade Secrets

An established and licensed private investigation firm has a wealth of resources not available to the general public or even to attorneys. Our sources come from years of building relationships and partnerships locally, nationally, and internationally. Our legal investigators are continually kept abreast of new technologies, services, and laws that affect the rapidly growing field of intelligence gathering.

Certified Reports

Investigators produce detailed and accurate reports describing their various findings. Investigators will attest to the veracity of their reports and sign affidavits related to the findings, and when possible, identify the sources. These reports can be used by attorneys in drafting subpoenas, discovery requests, and various motion-filings.

Types of Cases that Benefit from Litigation Support Services

Criminal Defense

Legal investigators with law enforcement backgrounds can help defend against wrongful accusations and mitigate charges. Our investigators understand police procedure, many of them having spent years on the force; they know what to look for in evaluating the strength of evidence in a criminal case.

Crime Victim Support

Police departments don’t always have the resources to assist every victim of every crime, and prosecutors will sometimes wait until they have enough evidence to meet their burden of proof before bringing a case to court. Investigators can work in coordination with police departments to assist in gathering evidence; they can also work directly with victims who seek restitution in civil cases after criminal statutes of limitations have expired and police are no longer investigating.

Tort Actions, Insurance Claims and Fraud

In personal injury cases, investigators can examine the facts, previous litigation history, and financial health of the claimant to determine if insurance fraud or disability fraud is a motivating factor in the plaintiff’s case. Accident scene investigation, interview of witnesses, and surveillance of claimants can help establish or rule-out exaggerated claims or pretense injuries.

Family Law, Matrimonial and Custody Cases

In preparation for divorce proceedings, investigators can assist in investigating infidelity, false-paternity, custodial interference, and the diverting or obfuscating of marital funds and property. Investigators can assist in verifying spending habits and lifestyle of the parties via interviews, surveillance, and forensic accounting. Employment verifications and asset searches can assist in preparing for alimony and child support hearings.

Wrongful Determination and Employment Discrimination

Investigators can conduct background checks and interviews in connection with wrongful termination suits. Education and employment verification services can also help build employment discrimination cases. Investigating a corporation’s practices, the makeup of their personnel, and reviewing their litigation history can reveal evidence useful at trial.

Contracts Litigation and Transactional Matters

Due diligence services including background checks, asset, property, and title searches, and employment and education verifications can help build a case in a contract dispute with a vendor or business partner. Proper due diligence before the execution of a contract can help ensure that clients know who they’re getting into business with and reduce the chance of later breach of contract litigation.

Probate Proceedings and Estate Planning

Investigators can vet potential legal and custodial guardians to make sure a client’s estate and family are left in safe hands. Genealogy searches can help find potential heirs or family members that might be beneficiaries under family trusts or hold potential executory interests in estates. Investigators can also help determine if named beneficiaries have met terms of conditional wills or trusts.

Housing and Landlord-Tenant Disputes

Investigators can assist in determining if lessees, tenants, co-op shareholders, and residents of private communities have violated the terms of their agreements by using Airbnb rental services, housing unapproved roommates, subletting, or exceeding income guidelines in rent controlled or stabilized apartments. Investigators can also assist tenants in determining if landlords engaged in practices that violate fair housing laws or compromise the habitability of their homes.