Checkmate Strategic Services LLC supports attorneys, corporations, or (occasionally) private clients involved in civil or criminal legal matters.
These investigations generally involve verifying facts and gathering evidence; documenting issues such as harassment, wrongful termination, or non-complete violations; and providing detailed reports or testimony that can withstand scrutiny in court.
Checkmate also provides case support such as timeline development or scene documentation (photos, video, diagrams) helpful in illustrating alternative theories of the case or raising reasonable doubt in jurors.
Background checks, social media review or open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigations provide attorneys with valuable material to assess potential clients or impeach witnesses on cross-examination.
Surveillance can be a useful tool in legal investigations, especially in cases involving personal injury, family law, or workers’ compensation claims.
Other examples of support for civil litigation include:
- Locating difficult or reluctant witnesses
- Interviewing witness and preparing interview summaries
- Gathering documentation like police reports or locating collateral surveillance footage (local business, traffic cameras, etc.)
- Asset searches – locate hidden assets, bank accounts, or properties
Investigative support to criminal defense cases is similar but often focuses on locating hard to find or reluctant witnesses, finding evidence to support an alibi, uncovering overlooked evidence, helping to identify constitutional violations (unlawful searches), or discovering potential credibility issues on the part of law enforcement (prior misconduct, use-of-force complaints).
Criminal defense investigation also includes post-conviction work to discover new evidence supporting appeals or post-conviction relief, as well as voir dire assistance to identify biases or conflicts of interest in potential jurors.
Other examples of support for criminal defense include:
- Conducting witness interviews to obtain statements or affidavits, or re-interviewing witnesses initially questioned by police to uncover discrepancies or coercion
- Examining police reports for inconsistencies or procedural errors
- Reviewing bodycam footage, surveillance video, and crime scene photos
- Developing event timelines for an objective reconstruction of the situation which could reveal weaknesses in the prosecution’s case like evidence contamination
- Uncovering credibility issues or motives that could affect testimony (past criminal history, history of dishonesty, or connections to the parties involved)