Investigative Support for Colorado Attorneys, From Intake to Trial

01How we work

Investigative Support for Colorado Attorneys, Structured Around the Lawyer

Delator Group is headquartered in Nashville and holds a Tennessee private investigation license. Its leadership comes from military and federal law enforcement, and each file runs through one chain of command. We have no Colorado office; we assign investigators to the county where a matter sits and coordinate service there through vetted servers working to our documentation standard. The investigator takes direction from counsel, contacts no one on the other side without your approval, and reports only to you. Our Colorado private investigator hub explains statewide staffing.

Every engagement starts with a written scope and price, so a client's retainer is not consumed by hours nobody approved. Civil litigation support has a $1,000 minimum, and investigative time is $100 per hour. Reports are dated, cite sources and keep observation separate from inference, because opposing counsel will read them. When a file is not yet ready for field work, a short case planning consultation can decide what is worth doing first.

• Counsel directs the work from intake to report
• Written scope and price before hours are spent
• Dated, source-cited reports written for court
• Investigation and process service in one file

02Courts

Investigations Planned Around Colorado's State and Federal Courts

Trial courts in Colorado are organized into 23 judicial districts. The 23rd District, covering Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties, began on January 14, 2025, and the 18th now covers Arapahoe County alone, so older pleadings may show a different district than current filings. Most counties house district and county court together in a combined court, such as the Jefferson Combined Court in Golden. Denver is the exception, with four separate trial courts. For Jefferson County matters we staff Golden and Lakewood litigation investigators.

In the City and County of Denver, civil and domestic district court matters are heard at the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock Street, and criminal matters at the Lindsey-Flanigan Courthouse, 520 West Colfax Avenue. The U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado has its clerk's office in the Alfred A. Arraj Courthouse at 901 19th Street, with court locations in Colorado Springs, Grand Junction and Durango. The Bankruptcy Court sits at the U.S. Custom House on 19th Street, and the Tenth Circuit is in Denver. Metro files are staffed by our Denver litigation support team.

03Civil litigation

Civil Litigation Support for Colorado Law Firms

Civil work is mostly about finding people and preserving facts before they fade. Early investigation captures scene conditions, surveillance video and witness memory while they still exist. Colorado county courts generally hear civil claims up to $25,000, and small claims divisions up to $7,500, so we scale the work to the stakes. Plaintiff and defense firms use our fatal incident investigations to build the record before depositions.

Employment and business disputes need their own approach. We interview former coworkers, document timelines, locate witnesses who have left the company and trace a former partner's new ventures. Termination cases are scoped as termination dispute fact-finding, and harassment claims as workplace harassment fact-finding. When a defendant has gone quiet, a statewide locate for litigation usually comes first, followed by service.

04Criminal defense

Defense Investigation in Colorado State and Federal Cases

The Office of the Colorado State Public Defender runs 21 regional trial offices, and retained counsel handle many more cases. In either setting, early investigation can shape a preliminary hearing, a suppression motion or a plea decision. We canvass scenes, ask counsel to preserve video, interview witnesses with their permission to record, and test the timeline in the police report. Case-based pricing starts at $750 for misdemeanors and $1,000 for a single felony, as our Colorado defense investigation page details.

Impaired-driving files are common enough to have their own process. Colorado separates DUI, DWAI and DUI per se under C.R.S. § 42-4-1301, and the timeline from driving to testing often decides the case. We document the stop location, cameras, lighting and passengers, as described under DUI defense investigations in Colorado. Appointed lawyers receive task-by-task estimates they can attach to funding requests through our appointed counsel support.

05Family law

Investigations for Colorado Family Law Practitioners

Colorado dissolution cases run on a few key statutes. Under C.R.S. § 14-10-106, the question is whether the marriage is irretrievably broken, and a decree generally cannot enter until 91 days after the court acquires jurisdiction over the respondent, usually by service. Once the petition is filed and served, § 14-10-107(4)(b) generally imposes an automatic temporary injunction against hiding or transferring marital property. We look for violations and undisclosed holdings, as our hidden assets guide for Colorado divorces describes.

Parenting matters are decided as an allocation of parental responsibilities under § 14-10-124, with paramount consideration for the child's safety and no presumption of equal parenting time. We document exchanges, supervision and routines from public places, and we report neutrally so the facts carry weight. Our custody investigation guide for Colorado explains what surveillance can show. When a respondent cannot be found for personal service, § 14-10-107 also provides a consolidated publication procedure, and a documented search helps support it.

06Process service

Process Service Coordinated for Colorado Law Firms

Under C.R.C.P. 4(d), any person 18 or older who is not a party may generally serve process, and Colorado has no process server license. Rule 4(e)(1) generally allows personal delivery, abode service on a family member 18 or older, or workplace service on a supervisor, secretary, administrative assistant, bookkeeper, HR representative or managing agent. Proof under 4(h) may be a sworn or unsworn declaration, and the official JDF 98 affidavit has no notary block. Routine service starts at a published $125 in Denver and other metro counties on our Colorado process serving rate map, with the final price confirmed in writing.

Timing rules matter. A defendant generally must be served within 63 days of filing under C.R.C.P. 4(m). Subpoenas under C.R.C.P. 45 generally need 48 hours' notice for a hearing, 7 days for a deposition and 14 days for documents, with one day's mileage tendered, and nonresidents generally attend within 40 miles of where they were served. Entities are served through the registered agent; under C.R.S. § 7-90-704, if the agent cannot be found with reasonable diligence, certified mail to the principal address is generally allowed. Metro serves run through our process service in Denver and Colorado Springs process service.

07Trial

Juror Research, Witness Preparation and Trial Support in Colorado

As trial approaches, investigative work shifts from discovery to preparation. We confirm witness addresses for trial subpoenas, re-interview witnesses whose accounts may have changed, update public-record histories for impeachment, and photograph scenes again if conditions have changed. Venire research is handled as a Colorado jury pool background check, limited to lawful public sources and delivered in a format counsel can use during voir dire.

When an investigator's work is part of the evidence, the investigator who did it is available to testify about methods, chain of custody and what was observed. We prepare investigators for cross-examination and keep notes, logs and original media organized for disclosure. Firms in southern Colorado can arrange trial support through our Pueblo litigation investigators, and Western Slope trials are staffed through our Grand Junction trial support, with travel quoted in writing.

Services

Attorney Services Across Colorado

• Witness locates and interviewsDatabase traces, field confirmation and recorded interviews with consent, delivered as dated statements counsel can use at deposition or trial.Learn more
• Process servicePersonal, abode and workplace service under C.R.C.P. 4 in every Colorado county, documented with logged, time-stamped attempts and a signed affidavit of service.Learn more
• Criminal defense investigationScene work, video preservation requests, witness interviews and records research for retained and appointed counsel in state and federal cases.Learn more
• SurveillanceLawful public-view observation for family law, insurance defense and employment matters, reported with original video, timed logs and a neutral written narrative.Learn more
• Asset investigationsReal property, entity, vehicle and lien research that tells counsel whether a judgment is collectible before more fees are spent.Learn more
• Skip tracingLocates for defendants, debtors, heirs and witnesses, with the documented diligence record a C.R.C.P. 4(f) substituted service motion generally requires.Learn more
• Insurance defense supportClaimant activity checks, recorded statements and scene documentation for carriers' defense counsel in Colorado liability, premises and workers' compensation matters.Learn more
• Jury pool researchLawful public-source research on prospective jurors, organized by juror number and delivered in time for counsel to use during voir dire and jury selection.Learn more
• Case consultingLeadership review of what investigation can add to a matter, with a written plan sequenced around rule deadlines and the court calendar.Learn more

How it works

How a Colorado Attorney Engagement Runs

1. 01

   Intake with counsel

   We review the pleadings, deadlines and counsel's theory, agree on what must be found, and confirm who receives reports and how work product is labeled.

2. 02

   Written scope

   You receive a phased scope and price tied to the scheduling order or hearing dates. Nothing starts until you approve it, and later phases are quoted separately.

3. 03

   Investigation and service

   Investigators locate and interview witnesses, document scenes and research records, while service of process is coordinated in the same file, with logged and time-stamped attempts.

4. 04

   Report and testimony

   Counsel receives dated, source-cited reports and signed affidavits of service, and the investigator who did the work is available to testify at a hearing or trial if needed.

Compare

Colorado Service and Response Deadlines Attorneys Ask About Most

Statewide coverage

Attorney Support Across Colorado

Metro Denver firms are served by our Denver team and by Arvada and west-metro investigators for Jefferson and Adams county matters. South-metro and Douglas County cases, now in the 23rd District, are staffed through Centennial litigation support and Castle Rock. Northern Colorado firms in Larimer and Weld counties work with our Fort Collins attorney support team, and Boulder County matters run through Boulder and Longmont. Southwest Colorado cases, including those at the Durango federal court location, are handled through our Durango litigation investigators.

• Denver
• Arvada
• Centennial
• Fort Collins
• Pueblo
• Durango
• All of Colorado

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Colorado

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

Service areas

Private investigators across Colorado