Ethics, Professional Conduct and Reporting
This domain tests integrity in investigative work: truthful reporting, objectivity, confidentiality, conflict management, accurate billing, and correction of errors. The exam expects you to recognize that an ethical PI reports what the evidence shows, including facts that hurt the client’s position.
Core ethical duties
- Be honest in testimony, reports, and client communications. Never fabricate evidence, backdate a report, alter a log, or encourage a witness to change a statement.
- Remain objective. Report exculpatory and inculpatory information, distinguish fact from opinion, and identify the source and reliability of each assertion. A report that omits adverse findings is misleading even if every stated fact is true.
- Protect confidentiality and privacy. Share case information on a need-to-know basis, secure digital files, and avoid discussing clients in public or on social media.
- Disclose and manage conflicts. A PI should not investigate a party adverse to a current client, or accept a case that creates a personal or financial conflict, without informed resolution.
- Bill accurately. Record time and expenses truthfully; do not pad hours or charge personal expenses to a case.
- Correct errors promptly. If a report contains a mistake, issue a dated correction and preserve the original rather than silently editing the file.
Worked example
A PI submits a report stating that a witness identified the subject. Later, the PI learns the witness was unsure and picked the subject only after seeing a photo from the client. The ethical response is to notify the client and the attorney immediately, document the new information, and correct the report. Hiding the uncertainty would mislead the court and violate the duty of candor.
Traps that cost marks
Treating “true but incomplete” as ethical, overstating an identification, using hearsay as established fact, omitting exculpatory evidence, or letting a client edit a report to remove unfavorable findings. Another trap is discussing a case with outsiders or posting details online.
Key points
- Report both favorable and unfavorable findings; omission can be as misleading as a false statement.
- Separate verified fact from opinion, inference, and hearsay.
- Protect client confidentiality and secure case data.
- Disclose conflicts and avoid adverse representations without informed resolution.
- Correct errors promptly with a dated correction while preserving the original record.