Philip Becnel
Managing Partner
There is nothing more exciting than a well researched and superbly written investigative report. Well, maybe when the Nationals won the World Series. That was pretty exciting. But otherwise, it’s definitely investigative reports.
Philip Becnel, the Managing Partner of Dinolt Becnel & Wells Investigative Group LLC, is the author of two influential investigative books: Introduction to Conducting Private Investigations and Principles of Investigative Documentation. The former book has sold more than 10,000 copies. Previously published as Private Investigator Entry Level (02E), it is the only textbook for the entry-level course required for all private investigators in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Philip has also published articles in several investigative, legal and popular publications, including The Legal Investigator, Law360, Westlaw Journal Employment, The Corporate Counselor and Time Magazine. He has taught undergraduate courses in criminal procedure, white collar crime and criminal investigation; he has lectured on a wide variety of investigative topics to the legal community; and he is has been interviewed as an expert for media stories on matters ranging from vetting clients to bribery and fraud investigations, including by The Washington Post, Federal Times, The Baltimore Sun, CNN and U.S. News and World Reports.
Philip has testified as an expert witness in private investigations, including about the reasonable standards of an internal investigation in an employment setting. He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys, the National Council of Investigative and Security Specialists, and he is member and past-President of the Private Investigators Association of Virginia. He earned a bachelor’s of art in Anthropology from George Mason University and a master’s in criminal justice from Boston University. He is a licensed private investigator in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and D.C.