Criminal Defense
Achieve More Acquittals and Better Pleas
“What are the complete facts surrounding the crime my client is accused of?”
“Can I mitigate the sentencing on this conviction?”
“What was missed during the original trial that can bring post-conviction relief to my client?”
These are three important questions, each of which may appear at different stages of a criminal defense case. A criminal defense attorney needs to know exactly what happened during the commission of the crime for which the defendant has been charged. When conducting a factual investigation, without the assistance of an experienced legal investigator, the defense attorney acting alone may not be able to counter the resources of the prosecution team in order to establish reasonable doubt.
How Trace Investigations assists criminal defense attorney’s:
Reviewing discovery information and conducting a crime scene examination.
Establishing a timeline leading up to the crime, looking for clues, flaws or oversights in the police or coroner investigation, identifying additional witnesses and looking for exculpatory evidence.
Interviewing witnesses, memorializing their statements and conducting background investigations, and providing forensic examinations and extractions on cellular and tablet devices.
Providing trial preparation support, including shepherding defense witnesses to trial.
The benefits of a defense investigation:
Client’s Confidence Increased: Your client’s confidence in his defense increases with the presence of an investigator on your team.
Information to Prevail: You will have a factual investigation for the defense, including witness backgrounds and other evidence not revealed in the police reports. which could lead to the impeachment of prosecution witnesses, the establishment of reasonable doubt and alternate theories of the crime.
Forensic Examinations for Proof: You will have real time access to forensic evidence from cellular phones and tablets.
Ability to Establish Actual Defense or Achieve Better Pleas: You will have a timeline, a crime scene inspection report, witness statements and other investigation reports to assist in plea negotiations with the prosecutor or in trial preparation.
Ability to Reduce Charges and Sentencing: If actual innocence is not available, you may learn factors in your client’s history to establish mitigation leading to reduced charges or sentencing.
FAQs
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Yes. We are actively involved in criminal defense investigations as a regular part of our practice. We’ve assisted criminal defense counsel since Trace Investigations was founded in 1990. During that time we’ve worked cases for private attorneys as well as public defender appointed cases, and we’ve worked with the attorneys of the Innocence Project at Bluhm Legal Clinic at Northwestern University School of Law. Our defense investigators regularly attend continuing education seminars offered by the National Association of Legal Investigators, the National Defenders Association, Indiana’s Public Defender Council, the Indiana Society of Professional Investigators and courses offered by the Criminal Defense Investigation Training Council. For more information on criminal defense investigations, go to our Attorney Services page.
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That depends on the witness, the case and the client. Some attorneys simply want us to write up a narrative of the witness interview; some want an audio or video recording of the statement; other times we provide a hand written statement initialed and signed and witnessed by the investigator. There have been times when we’ve arranged for a court reporter to document and transcribe a statement.
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Owner, Tina Skirvin, has been certified as a criminal defense investigator since 2016. This certification designates that Tina is an expert in the field of criminal defense investigations and is fully equipped to conduct a comprehensive investigation in defense of the Sixth Amendment – Right to a Fair Trial. The philosophy behind the certification is to be an impartial and objective advocate of the truth.
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Yes. And have many times. Our investigators are experienced in courtroom decorum. We provide our attorney clients with a confidential work product report, one that is “court-ready” if needed. When we have to testify, we bill at the regular investigator rate.
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It depends. Most of our cases are billed by the hour plus expenses. Once we consult with the client about the nature of the case, we can set an initial budget. We understand resources may be limited for some cases and will work closely with our client to obtain favorable results. Some assignments can be worked on a flat fee arrangement, such as service of process and asset investigation. For new clients, we require a retainer arrangement.
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We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, PayPal and checks.
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You can always call our office from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday (phone 812-334-8857). Our investigators have cell phone numbers and email addresses printed on their business cards and often communicate directly with clients during cases. You can also go to our contact page on this website and send us a message. If you have a legal matter you think an investigator can help you with, we want to hear from you.
Get in Touch
For assistance, please email use the contact form and we will get back to you within 24 hours. For immediate assistance, please call us at 812-334-8857.
Testimonials