Where Will Your Legal Education Take You?

Graphic by Alondra Pulido

Private investigators (PIs) may work for fraud departments in state and federal government agencies, or work with law firms to help in the discovery process. Their primary responsibility is to dig up evidence to support their client’s case. Although many have backgrounds in military or police enforcement, there are also PIs who have backgrounds in law. Such a background grants PIs a strong understanding of what lawyers need to be successful in their case. A legal background is also helpful for PIs in regards to client relations, as many of their clients are brought to them through their lawyers.

The requirements to become a private investigator are not particularly restrictive in Washington state. Besides filling out an application and paying a fee, the only other requirements are: being over the age of 18, being a U.S. citizen or resident alien, not having a criminal record, being employed by a private investigator agency, and submitting a set of fingerprints. Formally, there are no educational requirements, though a J.D. can make a PI applicant more desirable to a hiring agency. Additionally, different agencies may have different education requirements.4 There are also separate licensing requirements for becoming an armed private investigator and to run a PI agency. In addition to these licensing requirements, prospective PIs also are required to take and pass an exam administered by the Washington Department of Licensing.

Private investigators are commonly hired by lawyers to assist with cases by performing background checks on their clients and witnesses. Also common, PIs may be hired by lawyers to assist in digging up evidence in family law cases, especially those surrounding divorce and questions of infidelity. Their primary duties in these cases involve interviewing people related to the case, searching online and public records to uncover and collect evidence, and conducting surveillance. However, because PIs lack police authority, they must follow the same laws as a private citizen as they conduct their investigation.

Background image by Volodymyr Hryshchenko on Unsplash

Puppy Dubs II image from Washington Athletics

Current undergraduate students and those who do not wish to complete their J.D., but who still wish to pursue a legal education may choose to attain a Master of Jurisprudence (M.J.) from the University of Washington. Additionally, current PIs unsure of whether they want to commit to a 3-year J.D. program and that believe that legal knowledge would be beneficial to their current profession may also choose to pursue the program. Because private investigator positions do not require a J.D., and because the program allows students to take classes in the law (knowledge that is tested on the PI exam), the M.J. is a good fit for those wishing to become a private investigator without a J.D.

• Career Alternatives for Attorneys: Private Investigation / Business Intelligence [Above the Law]

• How to Become a Private Investigator in Washington [Private Investigator]

• Master of Jurisprudence (M.J.) [University of Washington School of Law]

• RCW 18.165.030, Private Investigator License—Requirements

• What Private Detectives and Investigators Do [U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics]

• Certificate in Private Investigation [University of Washington]

• Revised Code of Washington (RCW): Private Investigators

• Washington Association of Legal Investigators