why would a detective and general attorney work together

by Elbert Gutmann 3 min read

While the lawyer and the private investigator work independently serving different roles, they are essentially working together for the common interest of the client. They both respect one another’s role. In criminal investigations, the private investigator must work closely with his client and his counsel.

Full Answer

What is the role of a detective in a criminal case?

Detectives who work for the defense, the prosecution or the police department must collect evidence and present it as convincingly as possible in court while defending their evidence against aggressive questioning. The attorneys for the other side will always try to find weaknesses or flaws in the detective's testimony.

What are the duties of a defense investigator?

Defense investigators work to flesh out evidence for defense attorneys. Police detectives, along with a district attorney's investigators, work to support the prosecution of a case. All of these investigators may be asked to testify at trial. The first detectives to be involved in a criminal case are usually police detectives.

Does the district attorney's office have its own detectives?

Once criminal charges are brought to the district attorney, the district attorney's office may bring its own detectives onto the case. District attorney's investigators are not private detectives but law enforcement officers who work for the district attorney directly rather than the police department.

What are the different types of detectives in law enforcement?

Police Detectives. The first detectives to be involved in a criminal case are usually police detectives. Police detectives may be general investigators in charge of investigating many different types of crimes, homicide detectives in charge of murder investigations, drug investigators or financial crimes investigators.

What is the role of a detective in a criminal trial?

Why are detectives important in criminal cases?

Why do defense detectives interview witnesses?

What does a defense investigator do?

What happens when a detective is charged with a crime?

What is the first detective?

Can a district attorney be a detective?

See 4 more

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Your rights as a witness - Victim Support

Your rights as a witness. The Witness Charter sets out the basic standards of service that you can expect from the criminal justice system in England and Wales as a witness of crime. Key standards of care for witnesses include: having a main point of contact who will keep you informed of the progress of the case and will either provide support or refer you to relevant support agencies

Witnesses giving evidence in court - Court Stage - Enforcement Guide ...

Footnotes . Section 99 CJA 2003. Back to reference of footnote 1; Section 98 CJA 2003. Back to the reference of footnote 2 'Misconduct' is defined as 'the commission of an offence or other reprehensible behaviour'.

Role of the Witness – Clarke Kiernan LLP

Witnesses (other than expert witnesses) will be the most inexperienced people in a court case, save possibly for the members of a jury. This can be what leads a witness to be so concerned about giving evidence.

Public Records and Witness Interviews

One area is depositions and public records searches. By nature, a PI is good at analyzing data. This is why public record searches suit him well. He can pour through records and see how it ties into a case. He knows what type of information his client wants and is adept at obtaining it. He’s also good at “reading” people.

The Internet

A private investigator is also good at digital research. With Internet access so easy now, PIs have learned to use it to full advantage. Often he can find valuable information or clues about the case from social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and such sites.

Surveillance

This is an area that people associate with PIs, as it has been featured in movies for a long while. While not the only skill that he has, one has to do some of this with acumen. In the case of a cheating spouse or dealer of illegal goods, this is sometimes a must.

Insurance Fraud

Insurance fraud is rampant and insurance companies aren’t happy about paying out at any rate, especially if the claim is questionable. Actually, disability insurance claims are often routinely investigated. Although a company may approve a claim, they may very well send out a private investigator to keep surveillance for a period of time.

Why Hire a Private Investigator

Insurance companies have many employees. They have different jobs. When it comes to a questionable claim, it’s less costly to hire an investigator than to have an employee do this type of work.

What is the role of a detective in a criminal trial?

What Is a Detective's Role in a Trial? In any given criminal trial, three different sets of investigators may be involved at the same time. Defense investigators work to flesh out evidence for defense attorneys. Police detectives, along with a district attorney's investigators, work to support the prosecution of a case.

Why are detectives important in criminal cases?

Because of the adversarial nature of a criminal trial, none of the parties involved can be counted on to be perfectly objective. Police detectives see themselves as victim's advocates but may sometimes interpret evidence to build a case against a particular suspect even though the evidence could be interpreted another way. Prosecuting attorneys are responsible for convicting the accused, and defense attorneys are responsible for making sure he gets justice. Detectives who work for the defense, the prosecution or the police department must collect evidence and present it as convincingly as possible in court while defending their evidence against aggressive questioning. The attorneys for the other side will always try to find weaknesses or flaws in the detective's testimony.

Why do defense detectives interview witnesses?

Defense detectives also interview prosecution witnesses to find out if their stories are consistent, and they seek out other witnesses who may have alternative accounts of what happened. Any inconsistency with the evidence presented by the prosecution becomes a key piece of evidence for the defense.

What does a defense investigator do?

Defense investigators work to flesh out evidence for defense attorneys. Police detectives, along with a district attorney's investigators, work to support the prosecution of a case. All of these investigators may be asked to testify at trial.

What happens when a detective is charged with a crime?

Once they determine that a suspect can be charged with the crime, police detectives gather enough evidence to support a successful prosecution. Once the trial begins, the police detective presents the evidence to the jury under cross-examination from both the prosecutor and the defense attorney.

What is the first detective?

The first detectives to be involved in a criminal case are usually police detectives. Police detectives may be general investigators in charge of investigating many different types of crimes, homicide detectives in charge of murder investigations, drug investigators or financial crimes investigators. All types of police detectives interview ...

Can a district attorney be a detective?

Once criminal charges are brought to the district attorney, the district attorney's office may bring its own detectives onto the case. District attorney's investigators are not private detectives but law enforcement officers who work for the district attorney directly rather than the police department. They perform many of the same investigative duties as police detectives, and they can also be called upon to testify at trial. Just like police detectives, they are subjected to cross-examination by the defense.

What is the role of a detective in a criminal trial?

What Is a Detective's Role in a Trial? In any given criminal trial, three different sets of investigators may be involved at the same time. Defense investigators work to flesh out evidence for defense attorneys. Police detectives, along with a district attorney's investigators, work to support the prosecution of a case.

Why are detectives important in criminal cases?

Because of the adversarial nature of a criminal trial, none of the parties involved can be counted on to be perfectly objective. Police detectives see themselves as victim's advocates but may sometimes interpret evidence to build a case against a particular suspect even though the evidence could be interpreted another way. Prosecuting attorneys are responsible for convicting the accused, and defense attorneys are responsible for making sure he gets justice. Detectives who work for the defense, the prosecution or the police department must collect evidence and present it as convincingly as possible in court while defending their evidence against aggressive questioning. The attorneys for the other side will always try to find weaknesses or flaws in the detective's testimony.

Why do defense detectives interview witnesses?

Defense detectives also interview prosecution witnesses to find out if their stories are consistent, and they seek out other witnesses who may have alternative accounts of what happened. Any inconsistency with the evidence presented by the prosecution becomes a key piece of evidence for the defense.

What does a defense investigator do?

Defense investigators work to flesh out evidence for defense attorneys. Police detectives, along with a district attorney's investigators, work to support the prosecution of a case. All of these investigators may be asked to testify at trial.

What happens when a detective is charged with a crime?

Once they determine that a suspect can be charged with the crime, police detectives gather enough evidence to support a successful prosecution. Once the trial begins, the police detective presents the evidence to the jury under cross-examination from both the prosecutor and the defense attorney.

What is the first detective?

The first detectives to be involved in a criminal case are usually police detectives. Police detectives may be general investigators in charge of investigating many different types of crimes, homicide detectives in charge of murder investigations, drug investigators or financial crimes investigators. All types of police detectives interview ...

Can a district attorney be a detective?

Once criminal charges are brought to the district attorney, the district attorney's office may bring its own detectives onto the case. District attorney's investigators are not private detectives but law enforcement officers who work for the district attorney directly rather than the police department. They perform many of the same investigative duties as police detectives, and they can also be called upon to testify at trial. Just like police detectives, they are subjected to cross-examination by the defense.

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