Tag: corporate-investigation

To avoid claims of incompetence, investigators should implement evidence procedures and follow them. They need to make sure all evidence is dated and use some form of case management. For documentation, investigators must ensure they have backup. They should scan documents or make extra copies with dates and times for all interviews and documents for each case file, and log every phone call for every case file.

Investigators-even if they understand the line between appropriate conduct and misconduct and would never cross it-can still be accused of misconduct, such as coercion, threats, and intimidation to obtain information. To protect themselves from such accusations, investigators should record their interviews, as long as their client doesn’t object. However, recording is a two-way street.

Accusations of incompetence can result from poor record keeping and note taking, inaccurate or unclear report writing, failure to consider all sources of information and failure to meet timelines.

A conflict of interest arises when a person has c

Investigators can be accused of not being fair, of not looking at all the facts, and of drawing conclusions instead of investigating facts. Sometimes, the investigator’s motivation or alleged motivation may be called into question based on certain assumptions and beliefs related to his or her cultural background or gender or that of the individuals who are party to the investigation.

Locating people of interest (sometimes referred to as “Skip Tracing"), is an investigative technique skilled investigators use to locate an individual for various reasons and purposes. The investigators at Benard + Associates have the experience and expertise to locate people in all situations. This service is requested daily by our regulatory clients and lawyers.

Members of the public generally know that if they feel someone has acted criminally, including causing them personal harm, they can make a report to the police, or in some cases even take legal action against that individual.

When interviewing, investigators should keep these key tips in mind:

WATERLOO — Dean Benard and his colleagues are private eyes.So it's all stakeouts and surveillance, disguises and dark alleys?Once in a while, perhaps.But more often than not, a typical day involves interviews, research and paperwork. Lots of paperwork. 

When decisions are reached and findings are made in an investigation, parties involved  may not always agree with the results. However, they are more likely to accept the outcome if they feel that the investigation process itself was fair. Maintaining the following key principles of fairness will help parties feel confident in the process and the outcome.