Background
The firm is run by Josh Keheley, who spent more than eleven years as a POST-certified California peace officer before moving into private practice. He served as a Deputy Sheriff, as a District Attorney Chief Investigator, and as a Task Force Officer with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
That work was spent building and documenting the government’s investigations — running them, reviewing them, and preparing them for court. The same standards now get applied in the opposite direction: for defense counsel, on defense files, against the work product of agencies whose procedures and shortcuts are already familiar.
It is a practical advantage. Knowing how a report gets written, how an interview gets summarized, and how evidence moves through an agency is what tells you which gaps are ordinary and which ones matter.
Credentials
- California Private Investigator License No. 190170
- Qualified Manager License No. PIQL98
- 11+ years POST-certified peace officer
- Former Deputy Sheriff
- Former District Attorney Chief Investigator
- Former FBI Task Force Officer
Licensed and regulated by the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. Status verifiable at search.dca.ca.gov.
How the firm works
Principal-led engagements
The investigator who takes your call is the investigator who does the work and signs the report. Nothing is subcontracted out without your knowledge.
Conflict checks first
Every new matter runs through a documented conflict check before case details are discussed in substance. Conflicts are disclosed in writing, not discovered later.
Documented for the record
Interviews, surveillance, scene work, and records requests are logged so that what was done, when, and by whom can be authenticated, produced in discovery, and defended on cross-examination.
Written engagement terms
Scope, rates, and the terms of work are set out in an engagement letter before the file opens, whether the firm is retained by counsel or by the client at counsel’s direction.
Role on your case
How an investigator is designated affects what is discoverable and who can testify. The default is set at engagement and can be changed in writing as the matter develops.
- Investigator and percipient witness (default). Available to testify to what was done and observed — authenticating the investigation, laying foundation for interviews, and establishing chain of custody.
- Consulting expert (by written designation). Work performed under the consulting-expert shield, without testimony.
- Testifying expert (by separate written designation). Opinion testimony where qualified under California Evidence Code § 720.
Designation is counsel’s call. The engagement letter documents which applies.
Proven in trial
Litigation support and investigative work contributing to a full acquittal in a Stanislaus County felony jury trial.
Ready to talk through a file?
Conflict check first, then scope and rates in writing before any work begins.