Tag Archive for: investigative techniques
Can ChatGPT Help in an Investigation?
ChatGPT now comes up in most of the extended conversations I have with lawyers about how things are going. Many rave about how easy it is to have this robot whip up a simple motion or even, in one example, “a short speech about NATO defense…
Financial Investigators: Don’t Forget About Emotion
In a financial investigation it’s easy to get buried under all the words and numbers and to forget about emotions – those of your client, the person you’re investigating, and your own.
It’s understandable but something to guard against.
Theballetspot.com
If…
The Advantage of Small Talk in Big Cases
Listen to me explain why putting people at ease is the best way to elicit information from them. I don't have a badge or a subpoena, so the key is to be nice to them and be interested in what they do, think, and feel. Get the podcast chat on…
Good Due Diligence: Buy Back Your Future Mistake for 0.28 Percent
You want to invest $3 million into a real estate project. Time is tight because it’s closing in 12 days. The developer (51 years old) seems to have a decent track record and takes credit for billions of dollars of projects, but this project…
When Too Few Regulatory Problems Add to Risk
One indispensable part of due diligence is to check for regulatory sanctions. Was a company found by the SEC or FINRA to have misappropriated investor money? Put them in unsuitable investments? Lied on a filing to induce people to invest money…
Keith Hernandez on Hitting and Why Investigators Should Take Note
When not at work, I like to do many things, and one of my favorites is to watch New York Mets baseball. Since moving to New York I’ve grown to love the team and I make common cause with the many Mets fans I run into (even in my Bronx neighborhood…
Beware of Optical Illusions in an Investigation
Many of us love optical illusions. It’s a safe thrill to know we’re being tricked, and yet are still unable to tell our brains to “get real” and stop the illusion.
When you’re doing an investigation, the same kind of thing can take…
Five Questions to Ask an Investigator Before Hiring
Where do you start in deciding which investigator to hire for a sensitive job?
It should be a business of trust, just as it is when choosing someone to come up with an estate plan, to sue a former business partner, or to handle a complex…
The Yale Med School Fraud: Where Were the Auditors?
Specializing in financial investigations as we do, I am always fascinated when new financial frauds come to light, and I always want to know how the person got caught.
In the case of the recent Yale School of Medicine fraud in which an administrator…
Angel Investor Due Diligence: The Key Trait You Want
I’ve done a lot of interviews about people over the years, but you can always get better.
A fascinating conversation last week with an angel investor about what he looks for in a candidate to run a new company gave me a question I will always…
