Clear pricing.
Reserved capacity.
Private clients receive a defined investigative scope and one clear engagement price. Law firms may engage CVI matter by matter or reserve investigative access through the Counsel Partnership Program.
Prefer to speak directly? Call (948) 221-9097
Two ways to engage. One clear structure.
Start with the objective
Tell us what is happening, what is already known, and what must be learned, verified, located, or documented.
Choose the right structure
A defined matter receives a flat-rate scope. Firms with recurring needs may reserve investigative capacity through a monthly agreement.
Approve the written terms
The objective, capacity, deliverables, travel, outside costs, and payment terms are confirmed before work begins.
Some investigative questions do not require a custom scope.
For defined research needs, CVI offers a limited group of Desk Intelligence services with published flat-rate pricing and secure online intake.
Select the service, provide the subject information and lawful purpose, review the engagement terms, and submit payment online. Every matter is reviewed by CVI before investigative work begins.
Explore Desk IntelligencePublished Desk Intelligence pricing applies only to the defined scope shown on each service page. Complex locates, comprehensive investigations, surveillance, field verification, and expanded matters require individual review.
View services + published pricingThe hourly quote is not always the final bill.
Hourly billing can make the final cost difficult to predict. Travel, mileage, reporting, research, evidence preparation, and administrative work may be billed in addition to investigative time.
The opening rate may not show the total.
Investigators structure their billing differently. This example shows how an attractive hourly quote may not represent the complete cost of the investigation.
The number you approve before we begin.
Your written scope identifies the authorized work, included services, expected deliverables, and engagement price before work begins.
Read our guide to private-investigator costs, hourly billing, retainers, and common added expenses in Virginia.
How Much Does a Private Investigator Cost in Virginia?Reserved investigative access for firms that need more than one assignment.
The Counsel Partnership Program establishes an ongoing investigative relationship for firms with recurring case demands. Three levels of access are available, scaled by active-matter needs, scheduling priority, and the depth of coordination required by the firm.
The complete rate structure, reserved investigative capacity, rollover provisions, additional-work pricing, and agreement terms are provided privately following a partnership review.
An established investigative relationship—not an open-ended retainer.
Partnership recommendations are based on anticipated case volume, active-matter demands, scheduling priority, and communication needs. Every assignment remains tied to a conflict-reviewed matter, lawful purpose, defined objective, written scope, and counsel authorization.
Dedicated Investigative Desk
For firms that need CVI to operate as an integrated outside investigative resource across an active litigation docket.
Litigation Partner
For firms with a recurring litigation docket that need consistent access to research, field investigation, and case-development support.
Preferred Counsel
For solo attorneys and smaller firms that want dependable access to CVI without maintaining a larger ongoing investigative workload.
Exact investigative capacity, rollover provisions, additional-work rates, and monthly commitments are contained in the private Counsel Partnership Guide.
Flexible, attorney-directed investigation.
Specialized work keeps its own engagement structure.
Built for recurring need—not required for every firm.
Counsel Partnerships are intended for firms that anticipate recurring investigative needs, value predictable access, and want an established relationship across active litigation.
One-time attorney assignments remain available through CVI's standard flat-rate engagement process.
Request the relationship level that fits your firm's docket.
Tell us about your practice areas, anticipated case volume, and the type of investigative support your firm uses. CVI will recommend the appropriate relationship level and provide the private program guide.
One Virginia practice. Four clear travel zones.
The location of the work does not change our flat-rate philosophy. It changes how travel is scoped. Local mileage is included in Zone 1; travel beyond the local area is quoted and approved in writing before deployment.
Hampton Roads + Williamsburg
Routine local travel, mileage, and reporting are included in the approved flat rate. No separate mileage line is added later.
Richmond + Central Virginia
A case-specific deployment charge is quoted before work begins. Necessary mileage and travel time are built into that written quote.
Northern Virginia
Distance, traffic, tolls, timing, and any overnight requirement are considered in one advance deployment quote. Nothing is added without approval.
Western + Southwest Virginia
Longer-distance travel is scoped individually. Mileage, travel time, and required lodging are incorporated into the approved deployment quote.
If an active surveillance crosses a zone
We continue only when it is safe, lawful, and likely to be productive. We contact you as soon as it is safe to do so. Travel outside the approved local scope follows the authorization and spending ceiling in your Client Services Agreement; if we cannot obtain required authorization, we stop rather than create an open-ended charge.
A Virginia case may continue beyond Virginia.
When an investigation originates in Virginia and carries into a reciprocal state, a properly licensed Virginia private investigator may continue the qualifying investigation there for up to 30 days, subject to the applicable reciprocity agreement and state requirements.
This is limited case-continuation authority—not general authority to open a new investigation in another state.
View Virginia DCJS reciprocity informationYou are not paying us merely to watch a clock.
Investigations rarely unfold exactly as expected. A subject may change locations, alter a routine, remain inside, or fail to appear.
When appropriate, the approved engagement can combine fieldwork, research, verification, documentation, and reporting to keep the investigation moving toward the agreed objective.
Your engagement may include:
The exact combination depends on the objective and approved scope.
“Are we hoping to find something—or document a pattern?”
A focused objective
May involve a known location, confirmed vehicle, specific date, reliable schedule, or one narrow investigative question.
A documented pattern
May require multiple dates, broader research, an unknown schedule, several locations, or repeated observations over time.
No silent additions.
Minor changes
If the investigation changes direction but remains within the approved scope, CVI adjusts the strategy without turning every small development into a new charge.
Material changes
If the matter expands to additional subjects, dates, distant travel, court appearances, or work outside the original scope, we discuss it with you before proceeding.
A flat rate is not a guaranteed outcome.
No ethical investigator can promise what surveillance or research will reveal. A flat rate means the authorized work, financial scope, and expected deliverables are clearly defined before the investigation begins.
One matter or an ongoing docket—start with what needs to be determined.
Private clients receive a defined flat-rate scope. Law firms may engage CVI matter by matter or request private Counsel Partnership details for recurring investigative access.
Prefer to speak directly? Call (948) 221-9097
No case is opened without a written scope and client approval.