How Attorneys Hire a Private Investigator in Orlando

Practical brief for Orlando attorneys and paralegals who need to retain a licensed investigator.

When a matter in Orlando needs facts that the file does not yet contain — a witness who will not return calls, a business location that has to be observed, or a public-record picture that would take a paralegal days to assemble — counsel often brings in a licensed private investigator. The engagement works best when the law firm retains the agency, the scope is written down, and both sides are clear about what can be done lawfully.

This brief covers the questions to ask, what usually drives cost, and why many firms have counsel, rather than the client, hire the investigator. It is not legal advice.

Retain the investigator through the law firm

For most litigation and pre-litigation work, the law firm should be the client of the investigative agency. Counsel defines the assignment, receives the reports, and decides what is shared with the underlying client. Whether work-product protection or attorney-client privilege applies is a legal question for the attorney, not a promise an investigator can make. A written engagement, a defined scope and reports addressed to counsel put the work on a better footing than an informal request from a manager.

Direction also matters for professional responsibility. Under Florida Bar Rule 4-5.3, lawyers must make reasonable efforts to ensure that nonlawyers they work with act in a way compatible with the lawyer’s own obligations. A licensed investigator working from written instructions is easier to supervise, and easier to describe later if a court asks how the facts were developed.

Questions to ask before you hire

A short intake call should answer more than “can you start this week?” Ask:

• Is the agency licensed in Florida, and can you have the agency license number? MAYN Investigations holds Florida Agency License A3400126. You can verify a Florida private investigator license through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
• Who will do the work, and does the team have the background the matter requires?
• What can be done lawfully, and what cannot? Be wary of anyone who offers bank-account balances or other non-public financial data without lawful process.
• How will evidence be documented, and how is chain of custody handled?
• Who receives the report, and in what form?
• What is the plan if the first day of work changes the theory of the case?

Those questions work as well for a paralegal preparing the file as they do for the assigning attorney. For business matters, see corporate investigations in Orlando and our attorney investigative services. A private investigator Orlando attorneys retain should be able to answer each of them before work starts.

What drives the cost of an investigation

Cost is scoped to the file and usually turns on a handful of practical factors:

• Number of subjects and locations. One person at one address is a different assignment from three related companies in several counties.
• Records spread. Property, court and corporate records across many Florida counties, or in other states, take more time than a single Orange County search.
• Field hours. Surveillance, site visits and in-person interviews are driven by time on the ground, including wait time and travel in the Orlando area and across the state.
• Urgency. A same-day locate before a hearing is a different plan than a staged records review over a week.
• Reporting. A short memorandum to counsel costs less time than a formal, exhibit-ready report with a timeline and source list.

The most useful way to control cost is a tight question: what does counsel need to know, by when, and in what form? A phased plan — records first, then field work if the records justify it — keeps the file from expanding without a decision. We discuss scope and timing by phone. See also our Florida private investigator cost guide.

Work-product and privilege are questions for counsel

Attorneys often ask whether hiring a private investigator through the firm will protect the work as attorney work product, or whether communications will be privileged. That is a legal determination for counsel, based on the purpose of the engagement, who holds it, and how the work is used. An investigator should not promise a legal result. What the agency can do is run the engagement so counsel has a clean record to evaluate: a retention letter with the law firm, instructions from the attorney or a designated paralegal, and reports addressed to the firm.

How to brief the investigator

A useful briefing is short and specific. Send what you already have, and say what you do not want done.

• The caption or a one-paragraph case summary, and the deadline (hearing, filing, mediation or internal review).
• The exact question you want answered, not a general request to “look into” the other side.
• Names, dates of birth if known, addresses, phone numbers, employer names and vehicle descriptions.
• Relevant documents: pleadings, contracts, skip-trace notes, prior reports, photographs.
• Known legal or practical limits: no contact with a represented party, no approach to a workplace, no recording, or no contact with employees.
• The deliverable you want and the person at the firm who will take questions.

Paralegals often assemble this packet, which is one of the fastest ways to get an accurate scope. MAYN Investigations is available 24/7 when a locate or a site check cannot wait for the next business day.

Confirm the license, then assign the work

Private investigation for hire in Florida is regulated under Chapter 493, Florida Statutes. Ask for the agency license, confirm it, and keep a copy in the file. Licensed and insured are the baseline; they are not a substitute for a clear scope and lawful methods.

FAQ: hiring a private investigator in Orlando

Should the law firm or the client sign the engagement?

For matters that may involve litigation, many attorneys prefer that the law firm retain and direct the investigator. Counsel should decide which structure fits the matter. We can work either way, and we will address reports to the person counsel designates.

How quickly can work start?

That depends on the assignment and on the quality of the briefing. A focused locate or a records check can often be scoped on a short call. Multi-day field work takes planning. Call (321) 340-3280 and we will tell you what is realistic.

Will you testify?

When we have done the work and the record supports it, we can provide reports and testimony. Admissibility and whether a particular investigator should be called are decisions for counsel and the court.

Do you work with paralegals?

Yes. Paralegals frequently handle intake, document collection and scheduling. We still take legal direction from the attorney on the engagement.

Talk to an investigator

If you are an Orlando attorney or paralegal preparing to assign an investigation, we are ready to discuss the file, including corporate investigations in Orlando and other counsel-directed work statewide.

Follow us on Instagram at @mayninvestigations. Browse more investigation insights for attorneys.

This article is general information for attorneys and legal professionals. It is not legal advice, and decisions about privilege, admissibility and legal strategy belong to counsel.