Investigative Support for Alaska Attorneys

01How we work with firms

An Investigative Partner Structured Around the Attorney

Delator Group is a licensed Tennessee private investigation firm, headquartered in Nashville, with one chain of command and leadership drawn from military and federal law-enforcement backgrounds. We have no office in Alaska; we assign investigators to Alaska matters and hold them to Tennessee's licensing standard. Counsel directs the work from intake, which helps keep it within the attorney's strategy and work-product expectations. Our overview of Alaska investigations explains the full range of matters we take.

Every engagement starts with a written scope and price, so a firm is never surprised by a bill that grew quietly. Reports are written for courts: who, what, when and where, with sources, time stamps and original media preserved. Alaska Time runs three hours behind Nashville, so we schedule calls and deadlines with that in mind. Firms can read more about Delator Group's structure or open a matter through our secure contact page.

• One chain of command from intake to report
• Written scope and price before any work
• Reports built for exhibits and testimony
• Original media and notes preserved

02Courts

Investigations Planned Around Alaska's State and Federal Courts

Alaska's trial courts sit in four judicial districts, and the courthouse a case is filed in shapes the investigation. In Anchorage, the Nesbett Courthouse at 825 W. 4th Avenue houses the trial courts, while the Boney Courthouse at 303 K Street serves the appellate courts. Fairbanks cases are heard at 101 Lacey Street and Juneau cases at 123 4th Street. Mat-Su matters go to the Palmer courthouse and many Central Peninsula matters to Kenai. Our Anchorage trial investigators work closest to the state's busiest courts.

The federal trial court sits in three Alaska cities. The U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska lists staffed offices at 222 W. 7th Avenue in Anchorage, 101 12th Avenue in Fairbanks and 709 W. 9th Street in Juneau, and its Ketchikan office closed on October 1, 2021. Appeals generally go to the Ninth Circuit. Our Fairbanks litigation support and Juneau investigative team handle many federal and state matters in those two court towns.

03Civil practice

Civil Litigation Support for Alaska Law Firms

Limitations periods set the pace of civil investigation. As of the 2025 Alaska Statutes, most contract claims carry three years under AS 09.10.053, personal injury, death, libel and similar claims two years under AS 09.10.070, and waste or trespass on real property six years under AS 09.10.050. Deadlines can turn on when a claim is discovered, which counsel decides. We locate witnesses before memories fade, using a statewide skip trace when someone has moved and a witness background report to test credibility.

Civil work also covers liability, damages and collectability. We document scenes and conditions, research a party's litigation and business history, and identify property before counsel invests in a lawsuit. Alaska district court hears civil claims up to $100,000 per defendant, so the size of a case often decides how much investigation it can support. Our asset investigations in Alaska answer the collectability question early, and corporate investigations handle disputes between businesses.

04Criminal defense

Defense Investigation in Alaska State and Federal Cases

Defense investigation in Alaska often means reaching witnesses and scenes the state documented quickly and moved on from. District court handles misdemeanors and preliminary hearings in felony cases, and the Court of Appeals must accept appeals from final superior and district court criminal decisions, so a full factual record matters at every stage. We interview witnesses, photograph scenes in the right light, obtain records and review discovery for gaps. Our criminal defense investigations carry that work from arraignment through trial.

Appointed counsel may come from the Public Defender Agency, which represents indigent clients in criminal and child in need of aid cases when appointed by the court, or, in conflict cases, the Office of Public Advocacy. We support defense teams as counsel directs. For assigned matters, our page on investigations for appointed counsel explains our approach, and felony defense investigations cover serious charges where travel to a scene or witness may be essential.

05Family law

Investigations for Alaska Family Law Practitioners

Custody cases turn on the factors in AS 25.24.150, and the court may consider only facts that directly affect the child's well-being. Lawful documentation of stability, substance use affecting the child and domestic violence incidents speaks to the factors courts weigh. Under subsections (g) through (j), a history of perpetrating domestic violence creates a rebuttable presumption against awarding that parent sole or joint custody. Custody orders must also comply with the federal Indian Child Welfare Act. Our Alaska guide to custody investigations outlines what investigators can document.

Divorce grounds in AS 25.24.050 still include adultery and incompatibility of temperament, though property is divided without regard to fault. Conduct, including unreasonable depletion of marital assets, can still matter to the division. Infidelity evidence is therefore most useful when it connects to spending, a household, or a child's welfare. Our married infidelity investigations and out-of-state infidelity work are scoped with counsel so the evidence gathered fits the issues actually in dispute.

06Locates and collection

Defendant Locates, Court Papers and Post-Judgment Work

Under 13 AAC 67.010, Alaska generally requires anyone who serves court papers to be licensed by the Department of Public Safety, unless court rules provide otherwise, and Delator does not handle that work in Alaska. What we do is the step before it: find the defendant, confirm where they live and document how we know. Counsel can then direct a properly licensed server or another method the rules allow. For defendants who avoid contact, our evasive person trace combines records with careful field observation.

After judgment, we help counsel find what can be collected. Under AS 43.23.140, one-fifth of a Permanent Fund Dividend is generally exempt, with exceptions such as child support and landlord judgments, and the Department requires an exact match on three of four identifiers. We confirm the debtor's identifiers, employers and property; counsel handles the writ. Our debtor skip tracing supports that work, and our Wasilla investigators cover the fast-growing Mat-Su, where many debtors relocate.

07Trial

Juror Research, Tribal Questions and Trial Preparation in Alaska

Under AS 09.20.010, Alaska jurors must be U.S. citizens, Alaska residents, at least 18, of sound mind and able to read or speak English. Within limits counsel sets, public-source jury pool background research can help with selection, and we never contact or observe jurors. We also prepare exhibits, timelines and witness binders, and our investigators testify plainly to what they saw. Before trial, an investigative consulting session can test whether the record is complete.

Some Alaska cases raise tribal questions. Alaska is a Public Law 280 state, but the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act removed most Indian country, and Metlakatla also exercises its own jurisdiction over offenses by Indians on the Annette Islands Reserve. Tribes may exercise certain jurisdiction concurrent with the state over tribal citizens. Counsel tells us which forum governs, tribal records and facilities stay under tribal control, and we coordinate travel through Ketchikan investigative coverage when a Southeast matter requires it. Investigative support for Alaska attorneys has to account for all of it.

Services

Investigative Services Delator Provides to Alaska Attorneys

• Witness locates and interviewsWe find witnesses who moved or stopped responding, conduct interviews counsel requests and document statements with dates, sources and original recordings.Learn more
• Criminal defense investigationScene work, witness interviews, records requests and discovery review for state and federal criminal cases, directed by defense counsel from intake.Learn more
• Appointed counsel supportInvestigation for defense attorneys handling assigned Alaska cases, organized around the budget, court deadlines and reporting format that counsel specifies at intake.Learn more
• Civil liability investigationScene documentation, party history and witness work for injury, contract and property disputes, started early enough to meet Alaska limitations periods.Learn more
• Asset and collectability researchRecorder, entity, vessel, aircraft and court records research that tells counsel whether a defendant can satisfy a judgment before suit or after.Learn more
• Custody and family investigationLawful documentation of facts that bear on Alaska's statutory custody factors, including household stability, substance use affecting the child and domestic violence incidents.Learn more
• Defendant and debtor locatesField-confirmed addresses for defendants and judgment debtors, documented with sources and dates so counsel can arrange service or a post-judgment writ correctly.Learn more
• Wrongful death investigationFact development on the circumstances of a death, dependency and support for claims brought by a personal representative under Alaska's wrongful death statute.Learn more
• Jury and trial preparationPublic-source juror research within the limits counsel sets, exhibit and timeline organization, and investigator testimony preparation for Alaska hearings and trial.Learn more

How it works

How Delator Works With Alaska Law Firms

1. 01

   Conflict check and intake

   We confirm there is no conflict, then counsel explains the matter, the issues in dispute and any deadlines. Work is directed by counsel from this first call.

2. 02

   Written scope and price

   We propose the tasks, hours and any travel by air or water, and confirm the complete scope and price in writing before any investigator begins work.

3. 03

   Investigation and updates

   Investigators carry out the agreed work lawfully and report progress to counsel on a set schedule, flagging anything that changes the plan or the cost.

4. 04

   Court-ready reporting

   Counsel receives a written report with sources, Alaska Time stamps and original media preserved for the file, and our investigators are prepared to testify plainly whenever counsel needs them.

Compare

Common Alaska Attorney Requests at a Glance

Statewide coverage

Attorney Support Across Alaska

We support firms statewide and send investigators where a case needs them. Mat-Su litigators use our Palmer courthouse investigators, and Kenai Peninsula firms rely on Soldotna and Kenai-area support. In the Second District, Utqiagvik case work and Nome matters are planned around flights and the long polar night. Western cases often route through Bethel investigative coverage, the hub for the Yukon-Kuskokwim region. Southeast firms can reach Sitka, Petersburg and Ketchikan matters by air or ferry. Travel off the road system is always quoted in writing first.

• Anchorage
• Fairbanks
• Juneau
• Palmer
• Kenai
• Ketchikan
• All of Alaska

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Alaska

Every service below is available in Alaska and across Alaska, run by the same Delator Group leadership that manages our Tennessee casework. Choose a service to read how it works in Alaska.

Service areas

Private investigators across Alaska