FAQ - Family

What experience does your agency have with family law cases?

We have assisted counsel in family law cases since 2001, and our investigators have testified at depositions, hearings, and trials. We have located hidden assets, including real estate, bank accounts, and personal and business property. We work closely with a forensic accountant to review financial statements, tax returns, and business records to verify income or dispute underemployment, and, of course, we offer expert surveillance to develop information that will assist our attorney-clients in resolving issues involving child custody and visitation.

What services does your agency provide to family law attorneys?

See “Attorney Services-Family“

What does it cost to have your agency do an investigation?

The “cost” of an investigation is hard to quantify, since the “cost” rarely factors in the results or “return on investment.” The following is an example of the “cost” of an investigation and the subsequent return on investment (ROI):
A client wanted to determine if her husband had purchased real estate using income from his job as an auto mechanic. She was concerned about a $1,500 retainer. Investigation disclosed that the husband had purchased three lots in two different counties for cash. He had also purchased a single-family home, which he was renting in one of the counties, and had sold another single-family home for a $50,000 profit the year before. Research also identified a one-third interest in his parents’ home in Boca Raton, Florida, worth about $300,000, never disclosed to the client. The lots were valued at $90,000; the single-family home still owned by the husband had about $60,000 in equity; the client was entitled to half the profit of the home sold the prior year ($25,000); and she was possibly entitled to half the one-third interest in the parents’ home ($50,000) as a “marital asset.” The client’s $1,500 resulted in a return of $150,000, or a 10,000% return on investment (ROI). In cases where more significant assets may be involved, the return could be much higher.

How does your agency differ from other investigators?

Rather than a single investigator trying to do everything, from conducting interviews, locating records, and preparing reports, Complete Legal Investigations, Inc.SM utilizes a team approach. Our field investigators conduct interviews and surveillance, our researchers obtain documents and records, and our transcribers prepare reports. We work closely with a forensic accountant and business appraisers when complex financial transactions and significant assets are involved. This gives us the ability to quickly complete assignments and provide our clients with thorough and relevant results. Utilizing a team approach provides our agency with economies of scale not available to sole operatives and allows us to pass on the cost savings to our clients.

Can you guarantee I will win my case?

Results can never be guaranteed in an investigation, which often involves the search for the unknown or the non-existent.1 But failure to investigate can only lead to frustration, uncertainty, and suspicion. We cannot guarantee you will “win” your case; neither can your attorney. What we guarantee you as our client is that your case will receive our full attention, expertise, and diligence, and that we will provide timely, accurate, and verified information to your attorney as he or she represents you.

1. Don C. Johnson, CLI CII, Corporate Investigations, Second Edition, Lawyers & Judges Publishing Co., 2005, page 286