Investigative Report
Definition
A report addressed to a client, board, or regulator, typically prepared under legal professional privilege. It may include recommendations, attorney work product, and analysis that would not appear in a court-filed document.
- Audience
- Client, board, or regulator
- Privilege status
- Often prepared under legal professional privilege
- May include
- Recommendations and attorney work product
- Contrast
- Court-filed expert report
Common questions
Why does privilege status matter for how it's written?+
Content intended to stay privileged should avoid unnecessary circulation and be clearly marked, since sharing the report too broadly can waive the privilege that protects it from disclosure.
How does it differ from a report prepared for litigation?+
A court-filed report follows expert-evidence rules of neutrality and disclosure, while an investigative report can include advocacy-oriented recommendations and strategic analysis not intended for opposing parties.
Related terms
- Expert Opinion
- A conclusion that requires the analyst's professional judgment, for example that a series of transactions was designed to circumvent internal controls. It...
- Factual Finding
- A statement supported directly by identified source documents, such as a specific transaction recorded in a ledger, which the report can prove...
- Litigation-Support Report
- A report addressed to a court and signed by a named expert, structured to comply with procedural rules of expert evidence such...
- Scope of Work
- The defined boundary of the engagement: which entities, accounts, periods, and questions the expert examined. Anything outside the scope is not commented...
- Work-Product Doctrine
- A rule protecting materials prepared by or for an attorney in anticipation of litigation. It is broader than attorney-client privilege and covers...