Structured sessions in lawful investigative method
Three ways to build a habit of careful checking, each with a written record you keep.
Document Comparison Session
A session on comparing two or more versions of the same document to establish what changed. Covers obtaining each version through proper channels, aligning them systematically rather than by eye, recording differences with their locations, judging whether a change is substantive or presentational, and describing the comparison accurately in text.
SCOPE
- · One 100-minute session using documents from your own work
- · A written comparison record you keep
- · A method you can repeat unaided
Statement and Record Reconciliation
Guidance on handling situations where a public statement and a published record do not agree. Covers establishing exactly what each says, checking dates and versions before concluding anything, considering ordinary explanations before unusual ones, seeking clarification from the body concerned, and writing about the difference in language proportionate to what has actually been established.
SCOPE
- · Two sessions of 75 minutes each
- · A worked example from your own material
- · A written reconciliation note
Investigation Documentation Programme
A programme establishing complete documentation for a substantial inquiry, so the reasoning behind every published assertion can be reconstructed later. Covers indexing every document with its provenance, recording each verification step, keeping correspondence with the parties concerned, and assembling all of it into a bundle an editor or lawyer could follow unaided.
SCOPE
- · Four sessions of one hour over two months
- · Your documentation reviewed and rebuilt as needed
- · Includes index and correspondence log formats
How a session runs
STEP 1
Get in touch
Tell us briefly what you're working on and which session fits.
STEP 2
Bring your material
We work from documents relevant to your own project wherever possible.
STEP 3
Work through the method
Step by step, at a pace that leaves room for questions.
STEP 4
Keep the record
You leave with a written record and a method you can reuse.