By-the-Book Workplace Investigations
01PRECISION IN PROCES. INTEGRITY IN PRACTICE.

When your team can't take one more case, we can.

Attorney-led, third-party protected-class investigations for organizations dealing with turnover, leadership transition, a frozen headcount, or a gap they can't close in time. You keep control of the outcome. We carry the workload.

Book a capacity callSee the two doors
1,000+
Investigations completed
15+
Years in practice
100%
Fully independent
02The gap

Your caseload grew. Your team didn't.

Investigations don't wait for the right moment. They land while you're already stretched.

A complaint lands on a Tuesday. Your best generalist left last month, and hiring's frozen, so that seat isn't getting filled anytime soon. The one person who could take the case is covering for a new VP, three weeks into the job and not yet trusted internally to touch anything neutral. So the case sits in your queue. It doesn't stop being urgent just because nobody's free to run it.

Backlog builds. Neutrality gets questioned. Deadlines don't move. The clock on every case keeps running whether or not you have the people to staff it.

You don't need another full-time hire. You need capacity you can turn on - this week, not next quarter.

03The capacity

Independent capacity, ready when the caseload spikes.

By-the-Book absorbs the cases your team can't move on right now. We open the case within days of the capacity call, run it start to finish on a structured method, and hand you a report you can defend. Attorney-led, fully outside your reporting chain, and built specifically for protected-class fact-finding.

Every investigation follows the CLEAR Investigation Framework™ - same rigor on the first case as the fiftieth. So the cases your team refers out come back consistent, defensible, and aligned to a method your decision-makers already understand.

  1. CCapture the Complaint01
  2. LLaunch the Strategy02
  3. EEvaluate the Evidence03
  4. AAnalyze Impartially04
  5. RReport with Clarity05
04Engagements

Pick the door that fits your load.

Option A

Capacity Retainer

Most chosen

Ongoing capacity for organizations carrying a steady or growing load of protected-class work.

This is the offer for organizations that know they'll have a series of investigations over the next six to twelve months - because of turnover, leadership transition, a frozen headcount, or a backlog that built up while the team was short. You reserve investigation capacity in advance. Cases open the week they land. A named lead investigator covers your cases, the method is the same on every one, and you stop losing weeks to the gap between intake and the first interview.

  • Priority intake on every case - no queue
  • A named lead investigator across your cases
  • Coverage for a known series of investigations, not a one-off
  • One point of contact, one consistent method, one predictable standard
  • Capacity you can scale up or down as the caseload shifts
Book a capacity call
Option B

Single Case

One investigation, opened fast and run clean.

For the one case you can't carry alone right now. Full intake through final report, capped scope, no ongoing commitment. Best for organizations that don't need recurring coverage - just a single case handled to a defensible standard by someone outside the reporting chain.

  • One case, start to finish
  • Fixed, capped scope
  • No retainer, no commitment
  • Same method, same standard
Book a capacity call
05Independence

An outside investigator protects the finding.

Independence is not a formality. When the person running the investigation sits outside your org chart, there is no reporting line to point at, no internal relationship to question, and no argument that the outcome was shaped from the inside. That removes the easiest challenge anyone can make to your process, and it lets the facts stand on their own.

Neutral on the outside. Defensible on the inside.

06Record

Experience that holds up under scrutiny.

1,000+

Protected-class investigations completed

15+

Years of investigation practice

250+

Investigators trained

Organizations we've served.

Austin Area Urban League
City of Dallas
TCU
The iDEA Inc.
South Carolina Combat Veterans Group C Inc.
SAFE (Stop Abuse for Everyone)
Skyers Law Group
New Mexico State University
University of New Mexico
Per Scholas
Austin Area Urban League
City of Dallas
TCU
The iDEA Inc.
South Carolina Combat Veterans Group C Inc.
SAFE (Stop Abuse for Everyone)
Skyers Law Group
New Mexico State University
University of New Mexico
Per Scholas

Our work is attorney-led. This isn't a side practice bolted onto a broader consulting menu - it's a career built on protected-class fact-finding, from intake through witness interviews to a written finding that survives review. That focus is why organizations hand us the cases they can't afford to get wrong.

07Standing

Trusted by teams who couldn't afford to get it wrong.

By-the-Book takes a methodical approach to investigations, consistently delivering clear, compliant outcomes. Its unique blend of empathy, strategic insight, and technical expertise makes it an outstanding investigation service provider!
Dr. Jennifer MaedgenDr. Jennifer Maedgen, Associate Vice President & ADA Officer, The University of Texas at Austin
By-the-Booker offers highly skilled investigation services with a keen eye for detail and a dedication to fairness. Its systematic approach to investigations ensures clear, compliant results. The investigators' ability to build rapport with witnesses and create a safe and inclusive environment sets them apart. 
Gilbert ChrispinGilbert Chrispin, SPHR, Assistant Director of Employee Relations, Nova Southeastern University
By-the-Book brings a systematic approach to investigations, delivering clear findings even in the most challenging cases. Their credibility-analysis methodology helps them consistently reach sound conclusions. 
Kory LevingstonKory Levingston, District Title IX Compliance Officer, Tarrant County College
08Process

Three steps to hand off the case.

  1. 01

    Book a capacity call

    We map the gap and the timeline: what's sitting, what's coming, and when it has to close.

  2. 02

    Pick your door

    Capacity Retainer if you're carrying ongoing load from turnover, transition, or a frozen headcount. Single Case if one case is the immediate need.

  3. 03

    Hand off the work

    We investigate start to finish and give you a report you can act on.

Book a capacity call
09Questions

Questions before the call.

Anything not answered here gets answered on the call - plainly, and before you commit to anything.

10Close the gap

An open case is exposure. Let's close the gap.

Bring us the case you'd rather not carry alone. We'll tell you exactly how we'd handle it.

Book a capacity call