Private investigators are highly trained professionals who are often called upon to assist attorneys with a variety of tasks related to their casework. With their specialized skills and knowledge, private investigators can be the perfect multi-tool for attorney support when it comes to intelligence-gathering in their casework. While it’s true that many attorneys utilize private investigators, the full breadth of their capabilities is only as limited as the imagination of the attorney.
Here are just a few of the ways in which private investigators can be of invaluable assistance to attorneys:
Combing Databases in eDiscovery
Attorney support comes in many forms, but private investigators are especially helpful when it comes to the wealth of documents and records in electronic form. When it comes to eDiscovery, or electronic discovery, private investigators have the access and experience with comprehensive databases that attorneys or their paralegals may find overwhelming. Private investigators have access to a wide range of databases and public records that can be used to gather valuable information about a case. This includes criminal records, driving records, financial records, and more. By combing through these databases, private investigators can uncover crucial information that may be difficult or impossible for attorneys to obtain on their own. eDiscovery is especially applicable to investigations with high, comprehensive levels of information, such as asset searches, background investigations, and social media investigations. A private investigator will not only have the skills to sort through this information, but also have the eye for the most important details, and can organize the information in a way that best suits an attorney’s needs.
Locating Witnesses
One of the most important tasks that private investigators can perform in attorney support is locating witnesses. In many cases, witnesses are reluctant to come forward or may be difficult to find. Private investigators have the skills and resources to track down witnesses, interview them, and gather valuable information that can help attorneys build a stronger case. In many cases, witnesses are unwilling to come forward because they fear reprisal by law enforcement, fear for their safety, or simply do not want to be involved. However, because private investigators have no powers of arrest, work under the professional cloak of discretion, and have excellent people skills, they are often well-suited to not only locating witnesses, but also developing a rapport with them that makes them more willing to open up about facts in a case.
Offering Expert Testimony
In addition to gathering information and locating witnesses, private investigators can also offer expert testimony on the stand during court proceedings. As highly trained professionals, private investigators can provide valuable insights and analysis based on their knowledge and experience. This can be especially helpful in cases where complex or technical issues are involved. Though private investigators are retained by attorneys, unless they are employed directly by the attorney themselves, their subcontractor status does offer a greater deal of objectivity when it comes to the solution for a case. Their third-party testimony will stand up to a higher degree of scrutiny in court than an in-house investigator.
Conducting Surveillance
Private investigators are also skilled at conducting surveillance, which can be a valuable tool for attorneys in many types of cases. Whether it’s tracking the movements of a person of interest or gathering evidence to support a claim, private investigators can use a variety of techniques to conduct surveillance discreetly and effectively. A private investigator with a great eye for detail in surveillance is particularly important in matters of workplace investigations, such as harassment and discrimination, worker’s compensation, or white-collar crime.
Providing Support and Guidance
Finally, private investigators can provide valuable attorney support and guidance to attorneys throughout the course of a case. From helping to develop a strategy to providing regular updates on the progress of an investigation, private investigators can be a valuable partner to attorneys as they work to build a strong case.
In conclusion, private investigators can be the perfect multi-tool for attorneys when it comes to intelligence-gathering in their casework. From combing databases and locating witnesses to offering expert testimony on the stand and providing support and guidance throughout the case, private investigators can be an invaluable asset to any legal team. If you’re an attorney looking to build a strong case, consider working with a private investigator to help you gather the information you need to succeed.
Private investigators are the perfect multi-tool for law firms. The applications of their body of expertise could be endless from the onset of an investigation to the conclusion of legal proceedings. One typical area of difficulty is process serving. Hiring private investigators as process servers could be the answer to dislodging case progression
When it comes time to serve an individual with a legal summons to appear in court or before a judge, the powers that be elect to engage a process server—an independent party tasked with putting legal notification to appear in a person’s hands. This is to ensure that the person has been officially notified that their presence is required and therefore failure to appear lies directly at their feet. Whatever the cause for the summons, it is not uncommon for legal counsel on both sides to run into a roadblock when the subject of the summons suddenly disappears. Process servers may be trained to hand off these documents, but are they trained to find the subjects?
Private investigators as process servers may sound unconventional, but private investigators have the perfect skillsets to find subjects and deliver notices to appear in a clear, professional manner. Private investigators as professionals have a cultural reputation for shady surveillance tactics and documenting the movements of unfaithful spouses. It is these same skillsets that can also make them great process servers. Private investigators’ training and experience is diverse and can be applied to a myriad of investigation types, beginning with their access to licensed resources.
Through their licensure by the state, private investigators have access to verified databases on par with that of law enforcement. They can view a subject’s address history, criminal history, and a wealth of other personal information about a subject that can develop leads in finding out their whereabouts. It can also develop leads on their associates and friends, and other relevant witnesses who might have information about the subject. Private investigators spend years honing their interpersonal skills so that witnesses with relevant information will feel comfortable opening up to them and increase the chances of bringing about case resolution. This skill comes in handy when the subject of the summons is for whatever reason unwilling to be found. When subjects know that officers of the court will be requiring their presence, it’s not uncommon for them to make themselves unavailable. They purposely do not return to work or to their home address on record, because they know that process servers could have the place staked out, waiting to serve them with documents. After all, if you haven’t been officially served, you cannot be expected to appear in court. When this is the case, legal officials often require an extra professional edge to get the job done. With the assistance of verified databases and expert witness skills, private investigators can locate even the most slippery of subjects and serve them papers so the legal process can continue to move forward.
Hiring private investigators as processer servers is a good way to keep process serving efficient and professional. When you have a problem subject who needs to be served, hiring a private investigator to get the job done means you’re buying independent verification, as well as professional operations that can only serve the integrity of your business. If you’re a legal professional trying to serve a subject with papers, consider the services of Lauth Investigations International for your service needs. We have an overall 90% success rate in all of our casework, and we come with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Call today at 317-951-1100, or visit us online at www.lauthinveststg.wpengine.com for more information.
When it comes to finding the truth in a corporate lawsuit investigation, attorneys might want to consider a private investigator to supplement their fact-finding. COVID-19 prevention and social distancing are continuing to affect the way employees and consumers imagine the workplace landscape. With many business-to-consumer operations remaining limited or shut down completely, more leadership and employees are finding the mental space to consider their jobs and the corporate culture of the companies they serve. This has led to a new wave of calls for accountability when it comes to toxic corporate culture and how it effects employees. This means more litigation between employer and employee over issues such as discrimination, harassment, nepotism, and hostile work environments. With many corporate attorneys facing a higher caseload, they have been searching for ways to mitigate the footwork involved with quality, comprehensive investigations.
Private investigators are the perfect multi-tool for attorneys looking to lighten the load while they focus on caselaw. Many attorneys use private investigators for precisely this reason, as their diverse experience gives them valuable insight into many types of investigations, including fraud, non-compete violations, violence and threat assessments, and white-collar crime. Such diverse experience means that private investigators are less likely to leave a lead unexplored, giving the investigation the full benefit of comprehension and transparency.
Private investigators have access to verified databases comparable to that of law enforcement to get the best cross-referenced intelligence on relevant subjects in a corporate lawsuit. Private investigators have access to the most intimate details of a person’s life and contextualize those details in the framework of the lawsuit. This intelligence is not limited to the opposition, however. Attorneys rely on a degree of trust in their contract with their client—meaning that the client is transparent with the attorney so they can anticipate factors that might complicate the lawsuit. Private investigators can run background checks on the client and persons related to them and attorneys can prepare for any unpleasant surprises lurking around the corner.
The same due diligence that private investigators apply to background checks can be applied to witness location and rapport. Attorneys can often find themselves at a loss because a crucial witness cannot be located to assist in the court proceedings. When attorneys utilize a private investigator for their corporate lawsuit investigation, they have access to comprehensive witness location services. Private investigators view background checks, identify individuals close to the witness, interview them, and develop a strategy for locating and contacting that witness. No attorney wants to subpoena a crucial witness, and sometimes it takes the Because private investigators are independent, have no powers of arrest, and no dog in the fight, witnesses in a corporate lawsuit investigation might be more willing to open up to them about relevant facts in the case.
Hiring a private investigator for corporate lawsuit investigation may seem counterintuitive. One of the greatest advantages of conducting an internal investigation is just that—it’s internal. Internal investigations allow the corporation to keep vital intelligence in-house and those stakes are often never higher than when a legal judgement is at stake. However, private investigators can deliver the same brand of due-diligence and discretion as any in-house corporate investigator.
When facing the judgement of a civil court, facts in evidence are often called into question and subjected to a high degree of scrutiny on behalf of the court. Attorneys must do their best to mitigate this scrutiny by providing mountains of documentation and full transparency to the court. Internal investigators are typically employed directly by the corporation or nonprofit, rather than contracted for their services. This means that they have an indirect stake in the outcome of that investigation, and their findings might be called into question by the court.
Even if the corporation’s legal representation is in-house, that does not mean the investigator must be. Because a private investigator is typically independent of any corporation or law firm, their findings are viewed as more objective by civil courts. In a corporate lawsuit investigation, corporate attorneys can reap the benefits of placing a private investigator on the case and then having them serve as an expert witness to the court, because their independence from implicit bias adds another layer of integrity to their testimony.
If you’re an attorney in search of a private investigator for your corporate lawsuit investigation, consider Lauth Investigations International as your multi-tool. Our private investigators are comprised of former military and law enforcement personnel with seasoned experience in intelligence-gathering operations. We provide detailed reports, expert recommendations, and are prepared to give expert testimony in civil court. We regularly received glowing recommendations from former clients and carry an outstanding A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. For more information on our attorney support services, please visit us online at lauthinveststg.wpengine.com.
Every corporation needs an excellent in-house attorney to fight complex legal battles in their stead—someone to act in the best interests of the company and its future. In addition to the everyday intricacies of business litigation, house counsel may also have to field lawsuits from current or former employees who have a legal objection to something that happened during their tenure at the business. When employee lawsuits become a pervasive issue at a business, not only is the cost in billable hours exponential, but the legal judgements that result from these litigations can be devastating for companies. While litigation in general can be characterized as the cost of doing business, companies with healthy corporate culture experience a much lower rate of employee lawsuits. So, how can healthy corporate culture reduce the chance of a lawsuit?
Corporations across the United States are starting to understand the value of healthy corporate culture. Employee lawsuits aside, unhealthy corporate culture can have detrimental, snowballing effects that occur when employees are unhappy in their capacity and unengaged in their work. This is why corporations must improve their culture from within, so that employee retention and productivity remain high. Corporations also have millennials making up the majority of the workforce in the nation, complete with a set of values that propels them to seek a better work-life balance. This means that millennials are less likely to stay in a job where they are unhappy, and will simply seek a more amendable opportunity that allows them to have the work-life balance they desire.
When employees do not feel heard or valued by their employer, they’re far more likely to file a lawsuit related to their grievance. And unfortunately, no company is safe. In 2010, 99,922 EEOC charges were filed in the state of Florida alone, a datapoint that makes leadership wonder not if they’ll be the target of a lawsuit, but when. Employee lawsuits can drag out over months or even years, exponentially getting more expensive. The average settlement in an employee claim or lawsuit is $40,000. That expense alone can be devastating to a company, but that does not account for the disruption to daily operations, and the fact that litigation costs are on a steady rise. In 10% of cases, settlements result in $1 million or greater, a sum that could be the beginning of the end for many medium to small corporations.
The risk of a lawsuit can be even greater depending on the state in which it is filed. According to the Hiscox Group, a majority of states carry around a 10% change of having an employee lawsuit filed against them. However, in Georgia, the probability is 19%. In states like New Mexico, California, and Nevada, the probability can be as high as 55%. The area with the highest probability of litigation is the District of Columbia, with a terrifying 81% chance. The reason for the wide range in probabilities is two-fold: First, the legal standards in each state regarding discrimination and hostile work environments can vary. Secondly, the states with higher risks have more binding laws regarding litigation that can create extra hurdles for companies at the state level. This is why corporations must stay current on employment legislation, especially if they have locations across multiple states/jurisdictions.
So, how can corporations protect themselves against litigation from current or former employees? In-house counsel fields lawsuits when they are filed, but did you know there was a more proactive method to combatting employee litigation? The answer is simple: healthy corporate culture. When a corporation has a healthy corporate culture, it means that the employees feel valued by their employers in their capacity within the organization. It means that employees who feel valued are engaged, thereby greasing the wheels of internal, daily operations. This increased productivity means progress for the company, and the cycle of healthy corporate culture begins anew with leadership rewarding engaged employees for their hard work.
Research shows that the number one reason behind employee lawsuits is retaliation. In an average scenario, the employee reports an internal issue, usually regarding a form of discrimination. Following the inclusion of the investigation, when the employee cannot track for upward mobility, or a form of unwarranted disciplinary action occurs, they assume the reason is for reporting the previous issue. This can result in that employee filing a lawsuit for receiving unfair treatment on behalf of their employer. When organizations have healthy corporate culture, this is far less likely to occur.
If your company or organization needs a corporate culture overhaul, call Lauth Investigations International today for a free quote on our corporate culture audit program. We can help you improve your business from within and decrease the likelihood of employee lawsuits. When it comes to your business, you should expect facts, not fiction.
When growing a business, executives and owners have to go the extra mile when it comes to protecting trade secrets. In the pursuit of their company’s business, a common practice for corporations of all sizes is implementing non-compete clauses in their employees’ contracts. This ensures, should an employee leave the company for any reason, they cannot utilize trade secrets for the purpose of building a similar business of their own. It’s in a business owner’s best interest to be preemptive in protecting themselves from client poaching, theft of company secrets, and possibly even slander when it comes to current and former employees who violate their non-compete agreements.
Though they go by several names and the laws concerning them vary state to state, non-compete agreements are generally a legally-binding contract between an employer and an employee, whereupon acceptance of a job offer by a company, an individual agrees during their employment and following their termination they will not enter into any competing business for a predetermined period of time. Whether it’s working for a company’s top competitor, or striking out in their own business, non-compete agreements protect trade secrets, sensitive company information, and prevent competing businesses from poaching successful employees with promises of a handsome pay-raise in exchange for the expertise they might have gleaned from their time at their previous position. This kind of information can range from client bases to business operations to future products and services. The duration of the non-compete agreement following an employee’s termination have to be well within reason, as no employer can permanently preclude a former employee from any line of work.
Not every company experiences difficulties by virtue of a former employee violating their non-compete agreement, and some companies do not see the need for non-compete agreements at all, but the consequences of trade secrets being used to steal a company’s business can have devastating effects, ending in the worst possible circumstances with a business closing and an owner in debt. Even if a company is able to quash a non-compete violation in court, the cost to the company in legal fees can be astronomical, especially for smaller businesses. That’s why it’s important for owners and executives to be preemptive and proactive when it comes to potential violators. Luckily, a private investigator can help at all stages of a non-compete violation investigation.
Human resource employees are the salt of the earth, and can have a great influence on how a company develops based on the individuals they select for their workforce. However, human resource employees are not lie detectors, and do not always have access to legitimate, comprehensive background screening tools. Background screenings and checks are among the most common service associated with private investigators. If there is something suspect in a candidate’s past, licensed private investigators have the tools and experience to find it out. Private investigators can pull a candidate’s criminal history, financial history, and interview persons in their lives who can speak to character and work ethic. They can also spot patterns in a person’s work history or lifestyle that could be high-risk factors in a hypothetical non-compete violation—things like transience, long periods between positions, or financial destitution.
Some malingering employees can’t wait to be terminated before violating their non-compete agreements. It’s not uncommon for these individuals to exploit trade secrets for their businesses own gain while on company time and dime. While on a business trip, an individual might use company per diem to buy drinks for a person who could be a potential investor in their new business. Employees might use company supplies to supplement their project, such as printers, fax machines, computers, and other equipment. Private investigators can conduct diligent investigations within a company’s workforce to root out the source of the theft. Private investigators can interview witnesses, including upper management and other staff, review vital documents like bank records, and conduct surveillance of the company’s operations as needed to expose the perpetrator. Their objectivity makes them an ideal candidate to conduct such an investigation because they do not have a stake in the outcome.
There are many circumstances under which a business owner might come to suspect a former employee has violated their non-compete agreement. Word might have traveled through business circles that a similar business is starting up. Employees might start disappearing in clusters. Clients may suddenly decide to sever business ties in favor of a new contender in the competition. Whatever transpires, one thing is certain—documenting and exposing this exploitation is imperative, because the consequences can be costly. Retaining a qualified private investigator who specializes in corporate crises is crucial to resolving non-compete violations quickly, before the exponential costs begin to erode profits. Private investigators can perform surveillance on suspected former employees to document their movements, record with whom they met, and collect evidence such as pictures of a brick and mortar establishment, marketing materials, vital documents, and filings with the Secretary of State. Private investigators can send undercover operatives to infiltrate a workforce to get information the business privy only to employees. They can also enlist the aid of a confidential informant—an individual already within the company to provide information. This requires quality interviewing skills and developing a natural rapport with potential witnesses, both important qualities in a qualified investigator.
When non-compete violations are at their ugliest, not only do violators seek to siphon off their former employer’s business by exploiting trade secrets and knowledge of their operations, but they can also play dirty by exposing this information publicly. Another method involves deliberately spreading lies about the competition in order to drive business towards the former employee’s company. That’s known as slander and it’s legally actionable. Documenting the perpetuation of these lies and proving they are in fact false are crucial in these cases. Diligent fact-finding is the cornerstone of any private investigator’s expertise. Private investigators can conduct cyber investigations to track down the users behind profiles that post false negative reviews, follow rumors back to their roots, and forensically track how information left the competition and made its way into the former employee’s business nucleus. They can implement many of the strategies aforementioned: surveillance, interviewing witnesses, documenting evidence. Slander cases tend to have a divisive they-said, they-said narrative, which is where a private investigator’s objectivity becomes invaluable once more. Private investigators have no stake in the solution of an investigation. Their independence coupled with their expertise and resume make them spectacular witnesses in any subsequent litigation.
When a company has a non-compete agreement in place, it’s important that executives and owners are proactive when performing a risk assessment on a potential employee. It’s important that a healthy company culture fosters good comradery, honesty, and a policy of “if you see something, say something.” Building a case against a former employee who violated their agreement can be time consuming at the expense of company resources. Dealing with the fallout from litigation can bring a reliable business to its knees. Private investigators can assist in all phases of any non-compete agreement violation, and retaining their services will go a long way towards a body of objective evidence and testimony that can resolve a company’s crisis.
If you have suspicions that a current or former employee has violated their non-compete agreement, contact Lauth Investigations International today for a free consultation on how we can help you! Call 317-955-1100 or find us online at www.lauthinveststg.wpengine.com.
Carie McMichael is the Media and Communication Specialist for Lauth Investigations International. She regularly writes on investigations, missing person, and other topics in the criminal justice system.
