Investigative Techniques and Case Management
Investigative techniques and case management questions test whether you can plan lawful work, define scope, document decisions, and deliver defensible results. The exam favors practical judgment over rote technique.
Core method
- Start with a written engagement: client identity, lawful purpose, scope, budget, deadlines, reporting format, and confidentiality.
- Confirm authority: who may receive the report, what records may be requested, and whether the matter involves litigation, employment, insurance, or domestic relations.
- Plan sources: public records, interviews, database queries, site visits, and surveillance. Use the least intrusive source that answers the question.
- Keep contemporaneous case notes: date, time, source, action, and result. Separate fact from inference.
- Report promptly and objectively; do not withhold material findings.
Worked example
A client asks for a skip trace and provides a name and last known address. The investigator finds a possible utility account and considers calling the utility while posing as the account holder. That is pretexting and improper. Instead, the investigator uses lawful public records, directory information, and documented interviews, then reports confidence levels. The reasoning: the objective is lawful location, not obtaining information by deception.
Traps
- Accepting a vague scope and later expanding without authorization.
- Recording calls or interviews without checking consent rules.
- Relying on one database match without corroboration.
- Mixing investigative notes with the final report or destroying drafts.