He Said; She Said; We Should: Interview Intake Form
As we are all well aware, federal and state laws prohibit prospective employers from asking certain questions that are not related to the job they are hiring for. Questions should not be used to find out personal information. In a nutshell, employers should not be asking about your race, gender, religion, marital status, age, disabilities, ethnic background, country of origin, sexual preferences or age.
During the witness statement interview, however, investigators are not looking to hire the witness but rather to find out just as much personal information as possible. As we mentioned in a recent Bulletin, witnesses can make, break or mitigate a trial lawyer's case. It can take several years for a case to reach the point of serious negotiation or trial. The issue may then be finding a relocated witness. For that reason, the investigative specialist needs to gather as much personal information from the witness as possible during the initial interview. (We do caution the interviewer to employ a bit of tact as most of the fields on the Interview Intake Form can be filled in without direct questioning of the witness.)
BNI Investigators: Street smart; Web savvy.
Labels: interview, investigator, personal information, trial, witness, witness statement
