Financial Enquiries

Before doing business with a new client it can be of great importance to explore financial history and status. When suing for debt or damages it is desirable to know if the other party is capable of settling a judgment by payment, alternatively that the subject owns good available for seizure or sale. Enquiries can assist in deciding what course of action to take. While bank references can be obliquely worded, a full credit check may either give comfort or raise doubt.

Statements and Proofs of Evidence

Whether the matter is civil or criminal it is of the utmost importance to obtain the fullest possible information from any potential witness. An analytical interview followed by a detailed written account should contain both helpful and adverse information. Lawyers cannot give sound advice without a complete picture. Their use of information is often selective but it is far better to know what unhelpful facts may emerge than to have to deal with them spontaneously, perhaps in open court.

Accident Investigations - Plans and Photographs.

Not all "accidents" involve vehicles on roads. They occur in many work environments. Sometimes the briefest entry in an accident book will receive its greatest scrutiny only after long delay. In an increasingly litigious society it can be important to have an early investigation into the facts. Of eventual benefit to all parties, the result may save the high expense of a court case. Photographs and a plan of the scene will show things as they were at the time, not months later. We are expert fact-finders and can respond quickly to instructions.

Pre-Employment and Employee Checks

Many members of staff are in a position to defraud a company. Those in a position of trust - the person who does the banking, the gate keeper who checks out loads, the book keeper who rarely takes a holiday - the opportunity is sometimes viewed as a perk of the job. While it may not be necessary to pre-check every potential employee, discreet enquiry and a positive reference check can be called for in respect of senior positions.

One of the most valuable things to be stolen can be the employer's time. The long-term malingerer who is on sick leave but able to enjoy an interrupted social or sporting life can sometimes even be doing a second job. Such people justify scrutiny, and attention to them often sends an appropriate message to those with more loyalty, who can be demoralised if nothing is done to stop the abuse.

Matrimonial

Cases involving high finance or high principles still occasionally demand old-style surveillance and enquiries into suspected personal relationships outside marriage. The expertise to deal with such matters is maintained within the company, and enquiries are carried out with absolute discretion.