INVESTIGATE ALLEGATIONS OF WORKPLACE MISCONDUCT 

DCI's attorney-investigators have broad experience conducting impartial investigations of misconduct alleged at large and small companies, nonprofits, family-run businesses and within professional organizations. Each DCI attorney-investigator is a licensed California attorney with 15-to-20 years of legal experience and obtained the training institute certificate issued by the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI-CH).

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DCI attorneys know that an investigation is an essential step employers must take when claims of misconduct surface. Throughout each assignment, our goal is to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation, while maintaining our neutrality and objectivity, in order to provide employers with the information they need to move forward with their employees in a positive direction and minimize liability.

We communicate regularly with our clients to ensure they are aware of the underlying facts and conditions at issue throughout the entire investigation. During the fact-gathering phase, our attorneys conduct attentive and thoughtful interviews and an assiduous review of relevant documents and communications. At the conclusion of an investigation, we provide clear and concise work products that detail the key issues and provide a detailed analysis that demonstrates how we reached our conclusions.   

Our investigators have extensive experience investigating allegations of harassment and discrimination related to all protected classes, retaliation, toxic and unsafe work environments, and bullying. We are regularly praised by employees and witnesses for our ability to provide a safe space for everyone to have a voice and provide information that is critical for the investigation.

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We are also experienced with investigating allegations of money fraud, such as coordinated theft, kickback schemes, conflicts of interests, bribery and other financial crimes. In these cases, we often work side-by-side with forensic accountants, IT specialists, security professionals and fact investigators.    

With her unique skill set as a private investigator, DCI founder Staci Dresher gets former employees, consultants and other external parties to cooperate, even when they are not legally mandated to participate. Staci moreover recognized that monitoring social media and online activity has become increasingly necessary to conduct thorough workplace investigations. DCI’s research investigators often assist other workplace attorneys with these fact-gathering needs.

DCI further conducts culture and climate assessments to diagnose the fundamental problems at issue, often involving entire departments, teams or companies. Our goal at the conclusion of the assessment is to provide employers with a clear understanding of these issues so they can make informed decisions on how to correct them immediately and prevent future problems down the road. 

FIND ADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE & FACTS DURING LEGAL DISPUTES

 DCI is a licensed private investigation agency in California with seasoned researchers who have 15+ years investigative experience. DCI uses discreet and ethical means to find admissible facts, knowledgeable witnesses and hidden assets and connections during legal disputes.  We work closely with lawyers who specialize in white-collar criminal matters, intellectual property infringement and other commercial and civil disputes.  

Our professionals also work with corporate counsel and executives to manage internal investigations and unravel fraud schemes, corrupt practices and other alleged wrongdoing.

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We subscribe to dozens of proprietary and subscription databases and stay informed of the ever-changing availability of publicly available records in the U.S. and around the world. Our seasoned investigators are skilled in OSINT (open-source intelligence) and SOCMINT (social media intelligence).

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In addition, we are adept at identifying and interviewing knowledgeable individuals. We find that talking to people often fills in the gaps when gathering reputation and credibility information, digging into past bad acts and looking for hidden money and assets. We are also uniquely experienced at interviewing former employees, who often provide invaluable details not found in corporate filings.

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As a former in-house counsel at a global corporate intelligence firm, DCI founder Staci Dresher is skilled at ensuring all research efforts and interviewing tactics stay on the right side of the law. For example, DCI does not violate pretext rules and uses client-approved interview templates.

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Our investigators have each developed a network of trusted sources and professionals who expand our capabilities and potential.

Our investigation results are produced in detailed, well-organized written reports with the noteworthy findings provided up front. All our findings are sourced and a copy of all available source documents is provided with the report. 

BUSINESS DUE DILIGENCE & MARKET-ENTRY INTELLIGENCE

DCI gathers business intelligence on people, companies, government operations and geopolitical issues. This information is crucial for corporate executives, board directors and investment professionals prior to entering into high-stakes deals and investments. 

We also conduct research for companies entering a new market, country or industry. Our research gives our clients the knowledge they need to understand the political issues, risks and strengths when they invest in new territories.

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DCI’s researchers go beyond searching the routine databases and online resources, and we do not rely on AI to do the searches for us. Our scope of work includes targeted searches in U.S. counties and foreign jurisdictions where the target company, owners, deal partners and asset managers have lived or worked going back many years. For example, we review civil and criminal court filings in detail; search news and trade publications and relevant web resources in multiple languages; conduct a deep dive on social media; and look for regulatory and corporate filings to uncover hidden corporate affiliations, potential conflicts of interest, political ties, financial health issues and other risk-relevant details.

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Our investigators are also adept at finding knowledgeable sources and interviewing them about the target’s reputation, credibility, political alliances, business acumen and past bad acts.

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Our results are produced in detailed, well-organized written reports with the key findings and red flags provided up front. All our findings are sourced and a copy of all available source documents is provided with the report.

EXPERT WITNESS TESTIMONY

DCI founder Staci Dresher has served as an expert witness in civil litigation matters to weigh in whether a prior investigation was comprehensive and conducted fairly.

DCI's investigation professionals have also been retained with the intention to produce our work product and serve as a fact witness at deposition or trial. We've also been hired to discreetly engage in a customer experience, purchase a product or service at issue in a dispute, and gather competitive intelligence - results from these investigations are intentionally provided in an affidavit or declaration.

RISK MITIGATION & SECURITY CONSULTING

DCI is a valuable resource to corporate, legal, HR and compliance professionals to help defuse and respond to threats and security concerns in the workplace.  

We provide real solutions when evidence of fraud, conflict of interest, bribery or theft is uncovered, as well as guidance on implementing new policies and procedures to prevent future recurrences.

DCI is well positioned to assist companies in developing hiring procedures and background-check policies to ensure red flags in candidates' and third-parties’ backgrounds are promptly identified.