Practice area 08
Criminal Investigations
Independent investigation for the defence — because the state's account of what happened is an account, not the record.
Licensed Illinois private detective agency · Established 1991 · 35+ years
When someone is charged, the investigation that produced the charge was conducted by the people who brought it. Defence-side investigation exists to test that account independently: to find the witnesses who were never interviewed, to examine the scene properly, to establish what the physical layout actually permits, and to document what the file leaves out.
That work is often unglamorous and frequently decisive. A witness nobody canvassed, a sightline that does not work the way the report assumes, a timeline that cannot be reconciled — these are the things that change outcomes, and they are found by going and looking rather than by reading.
We work at the instruction of defence counsel, and the product belongs to the attorney. Everything is documented on the assumption that it will be tested by someone with every incentive to find the weakness in it.
What this covers
Included in an engagement.
- Independent scene examination, measurement and photography
- Witness location and recorded interviews
- Review of disclosure for gaps, inconsistencies and uncanvassed leads
- Background and record research on witnesses from lawful sources
- Support for post-conviction and appellate matters
- Testimony from the investigator who did the work
Said plainly
What this service cannot do.
Worth reading before you instruct anybody in this profession, including us.
- We have no police powers. We cannot arrest, detain, or compel anyone to speak to us, and nobody is obliged to answer our questions.
- We cannot obtain a warrant, search a property, or access protected records.
- We are instructed by counsel and work to counsel. We do not give legal advice.
Related
Often instructed alongside this.
Criminal Investigations
Tell us what has happened.
The first conversation costs nothing, goes no further, and you will get an honest view of whether this is something we can help with — including when the answer is that it is not.