About Associates in Forensic Investigations, LLC
Question: Explain what you do
Answer: We are expert consultants and legal investigators of personal injury, negligence and death in civil, criminal and probate litigation and related matters.
Question: PI’s have been glamorized on television, movies and plays as masters of disguise and intrigue. What is it like in reality?
Answer: Particularly in our specialties, there is not much glamor - but there is satisfaction in helping those victimized and affected by traumatic, often fatal, events.
Question: What kind of investigations make up the bulk of your business?
Answer: Expert consultations in injuries, injury causation and death have become increasingly in demand. These may be in civil or criminal cases, as well as what is referred to as Equivocal Death Investigation - when there is a question as to the cause and manner of death, at least in the view of the family or their legal representative. Civil investigations, from motor vehicle collisions to negligence of another, is the bulk of the legal investigations, followed by criminal defense.
Question: You have branched out into forensic investigations. What is the difference between that and private investigations?
Answer: We began forensic investigations in 2000 and now concentrate primarily in that area as it relates to our specialized services. Private investigators play an important role in our society and legal system - for the individual, business, insurance, attorney and others. Private investigators may provide surveillance, backgrounds, process service and other services in the workplace, domestic, also civil and criminal cases. Legal investigators focus on civil plaintiff (representing a person who is alleging to have been wronged by the actions of another) or criminal defense. Forensic investigations focuses on the facts and evidence necessary for our judicial system, particularly the judge and jury, to make informed decisions. We like to say that FORENSICS represents Facts or Reasonable Evidence Necessitating Systematic Investigative and Critical Solutions.
Question: Generally speaking, what’s been your most exciting case?
Answer: Any case in which we have helped a client, victim or family member begin to find solutions and closure to a traumatic event. It is not possible to be in their position, but we feel with our help on their legal team, we can make their position better. Readers may not find exciting what we do – it’s a perspective. One memorable case involved extensive work for the victim of a motor vehicle collision who could not recall what happened. We were able to prove, through witnesses and scene investigation, what happened and that the responsible party’s statements were false and not possible to have happened as they reported. Another also involved a motor vehicle collision and being able to prove for the decedent’s family that the responsible party, although in possession of a narcotic legally, had used it illegally just before the collision, proving his negligence and not that of the decedent.
Question: How did you get into the investigation business?
Answer: We each have always been interested in investigations since the days of Rockford Files, Mannix and also Baretta (we did own a cockatoo once, but she didn’t help with any investigation). We are not fond of ‘CSI’ or other shows based on Hollywood perception. We have always been interested in finding facts and information – for both of us this has continued to be a natural progression. Its not a job or a hobby – it is a professional career we are passionate about.
Question: Tell our readers one thing that would surprise them about your business
Answer: Private investigations has always been one of the fastest growing small businesses in the US. It also has one of the lowest rates of survival in under five years. A recent study found that, just as with 20 years ago, there are as many new investigators (under five years) as veteran investigators (over 15 years); both of the categories representing less than an aggregate 25% of the total investigators. The bulk, about 75% of the investigators today have been in business only 5-15 years. Dean and Karen are also one of three husband and wife Certified Criminal Defense Investigator teams in the US, and Dean is one of less than 80 Certified Legal Investigators worldwide. It is unknown how many private sector medicolegal death investigators there are in the US, but that number is certainly less than 100, as most are employed by the government – law enforcement, coroner and medical examiner systems.
Answer: We are expert consultants and legal investigators of personal injury, negligence and death in civil, criminal and probate litigation and related matters.
Question: PI’s have been glamorized on television, movies and plays as masters of disguise and intrigue. What is it like in reality?
Answer: Particularly in our specialties, there is not much glamor - but there is satisfaction in helping those victimized and affected by traumatic, often fatal, events.
Question: What kind of investigations make up the bulk of your business?
Answer: Expert consultations in injuries, injury causation and death have become increasingly in demand. These may be in civil or criminal cases, as well as what is referred to as Equivocal Death Investigation - when there is a question as to the cause and manner of death, at least in the view of the family or their legal representative. Civil investigations, from motor vehicle collisions to negligence of another, is the bulk of the legal investigations, followed by criminal defense.
Question: You have branched out into forensic investigations. What is the difference between that and private investigations?
Answer: We began forensic investigations in 2000 and now concentrate primarily in that area as it relates to our specialized services. Private investigators play an important role in our society and legal system - for the individual, business, insurance, attorney and others. Private investigators may provide surveillance, backgrounds, process service and other services in the workplace, domestic, also civil and criminal cases. Legal investigators focus on civil plaintiff (representing a person who is alleging to have been wronged by the actions of another) or criminal defense. Forensic investigations focuses on the facts and evidence necessary for our judicial system, particularly the judge and jury, to make informed decisions. We like to say that FORENSICS represents Facts or Reasonable Evidence Necessitating Systematic Investigative and Critical Solutions.
Question: Generally speaking, what’s been your most exciting case?
Answer: Any case in which we have helped a client, victim or family member begin to find solutions and closure to a traumatic event. It is not possible to be in their position, but we feel with our help on their legal team, we can make their position better. Readers may not find exciting what we do – it’s a perspective. One memorable case involved extensive work for the victim of a motor vehicle collision who could not recall what happened. We were able to prove, through witnesses and scene investigation, what happened and that the responsible party’s statements were false and not possible to have happened as they reported. Another also involved a motor vehicle collision and being able to prove for the decedent’s family that the responsible party, although in possession of a narcotic legally, had used it illegally just before the collision, proving his negligence and not that of the decedent.
Question: How did you get into the investigation business?
Answer: We each have always been interested in investigations since the days of Rockford Files, Mannix and also Baretta (we did own a cockatoo once, but she didn’t help with any investigation). We are not fond of ‘CSI’ or other shows based on Hollywood perception. We have always been interested in finding facts and information – for both of us this has continued to be a natural progression. Its not a job or a hobby – it is a professional career we are passionate about.
Question: Tell our readers one thing that would surprise them about your business
Answer: Private investigations has always been one of the fastest growing small businesses in the US. It also has one of the lowest rates of survival in under five years. A recent study found that, just as with 20 years ago, there are as many new investigators (under five years) as veteran investigators (over 15 years); both of the categories representing less than an aggregate 25% of the total investigators. The bulk, about 75% of the investigators today have been in business only 5-15 years. Dean and Karen are also one of three husband and wife Certified Criminal Defense Investigator teams in the US, and Dean is one of less than 80 Certified Legal Investigators worldwide. It is unknown how many private sector medicolegal death investigators there are in the US, but that number is certainly less than 100, as most are employed by the government – law enforcement, coroner and medical examiner systems.
We thank you for considering our agency for your Expert Consultations and Legal Investigations in Personal Injury, Negligence & Death in Civil, Criminal and Probate litigation, with an emphasis on cases involving Death and Serious Bodily Injury. Please contact us for your free initial case evaluation!
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< Click Here > to learn "What is a Certified Forensic Death Investigator (CFDI)?"
< Click Here > to learn "What is a Certified Legal Investigator (CLI)?" < Click Here > to learn "What is a Certified Criminal Defense Investigator (CCDI)?" < Click Here > to learn "What is a Certified Forensic Interviewer-Forensic Testimonial Evidence Recovery (CFI-FTER)?" < Click Here > to learn "What is a Certified Forensic Science Investigator?" |