Confidential scoping
We identify the client, legitimate purpose, relevant parties, urgency and the factual question requiring resolution.
Private Method
How Private Investigations Work
A disciplined process designed to protect confidentiality, establish lawful scope and produce useful, defensible findings.
Conflict and legality review
The matter is assessed for conflicts, legal limits, proportionality, risk and whether Sceáwian is the appropriate practice.
Written investigation plan
Scope, methods, timing, costs, communication and reporting requirements are documented before work begins.
Controlled collection
Approved enquiries are conducted discreetly with contemporaneous records and secure evidence handling.
Analysis and corroboration
Sources are compared, contradictions tested and findings qualified by reliability and limitations.
Reporting and secure delivery
Findings are presented through clear chronology, referenced exhibits and defensible written conclusions.
Agree costs and changes before collection
The written plan should explain what work is included, assumptions about travel or observation, fees, cancellation arrangements and reporting. Ask when an interim update will be provided and what happens if a new lead requires more work. An unexpected development should not silently expand the brief.
What happens if the question cannot be answered?
The report should record the work performed, sources checked and why the evidence remains incomplete. A false match, unavailable record or period with no relevant observation is part of the result. Discuss whether another lawful enquiry is justified; continuing indefinitely may add cost without answering the original question.