Investigation is not a science. A paralegal can use checklists and techniques to maximize the chances of conducting a complete investigation, but those checklists and techniques do not guarantee success. A successful investigation requires creativity, adaptability, and persistence.

Creativity

The pursuit of facts is not a rote exercise. Facts are found in unlikely places and the investigative paralegal must be willing to pursue the facts wherever they may be found. Reliance on standard techniques is the sign of a poor investigation. The paralegal must be open to possibilities of the investigation. All leads should be pursued. This will likely lead to some dead ends, but many of those can be eliminated with experience. The important factor is to not overlook a possible fact simply because it is unorthodox.

Adaptability

No two investigations are the same. What worked for the last investigation may not work for this investigation. The investigative paralegal must be able to adjust to the circumstances of the case to obtain the desired result. A contact who is usually cooperative may be uncooperative for some reason. An investigative paralegal who is adaptable can alter the investigative approach and still obtain the desired result.

Persistence

Facts do not come to investigators. In some cases, the necessary facts are obvious, but in other cases, more “digging” is required. Investigations can encounter many difficulties. Witnesses are uncooperative, documents are lost or destroyed, or the information may not fit with the goal of the investigation. These problems must not stop the investigative paralegal. The paralegal should not stop until all the possibilities have been exhausted.