There is a stigma attached to private investigators. Most of it was created by Hollywood, but a few rotten apples continue to give our line of work a bad reputation. You know them, they’re the ones that toe the line or sometimes cross it. That line is the law. That line is ethics. That line […]
When you get asked what you do for a living, do you answer with an elevator pitch? Ahhh, the old elevator pitch. You know, that quick spiel describing what you do, for whom you do it, and how it is valuable to others. We’ve all got one, right? But, when I tell someone what I […]
Learning from failure. If you go to the recovery room at the hospital, you’ll see a lot more people with gunshot wounds in their legs than in their chests. But that’s not because people don’t get shot in the chest; it’s because the people who get shot in the chest don’t recover. As private investigators and […]
Let’s face it, keeping up with technology is challenging. It’s a part-time job just trying to follow the latest iPhone updates, let alone browser extensions. Lost in the shuffle of the endless barrage of new gadgets is our anonymity and, sometimes, our privacy. Nowadays, every click or page view is systematically monitored. Worse, we don’t […]
In 2015, I opened the doors to Gravitas Investigations, a Cincinnati-based private investigations firm. But why did I start this company? Sure, I’ve been a “private eye” for over 10 years and have solved some incredible cases, but that’s not why I do it. The truth is that this company was started many years ago, […]
Do you think you’re a film buff? How about a private detective film buff?? We’ve done the excruciating research by gathering movies from the private detective genre, watching them diligently (okay, maybe it wasn’t so excruciating), and compiling a list of ten of our favorite private detective films of all time (plus some honorable mentions and modern versions). Take a look at […]
Whether you are in a court of law, an administrative hearing or a civil deposition, providing testimony is not an easy matter. It requires knowledge of your topic at the very least, but it also requires confidence as well as authenticity. Depositions are an integral part of the legal discovery process and are not to […]
This interview was originally posted in Pursuit Magazine. You are transported back in time as you walk along Via dei Calzaiuoli, Florence, Italy’s main pedestrian street. It is a wide, cobblestoned walkway stretching several hundred yards from the historic, domed Florence Cathedral, or simply “Duomo,” to the famous Palazzo Vecchio. Historical figures like Michelangelo, Dante, […]
So you’ve collected some great evidence from your latest case and now you have to testify as a witness. But first you’ll be summoned to a deposition. What’s a deposition? A deposition is your sworn, out-of-court testimony[1] that takes place during the fact-finding point in the case, which is called “discovery.” In a deposition, opposing […]
Have you ever been asked what you do for a living? I tell them I’m a private investigator (PI). Kind of interesting, right? You don’t get to meet private investigators every day, let alone talk to them about what they do. Inevitably, the next question asked is: “Who hires you?” Many people are curious about […]