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A private investigator ( often abbreviated to PI and informally spelled private eye ), private detective or inquiry agent, is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services.

Private detectives / investigators often work for attorneys in civil cases.

A handful of very skilled private detectives / investigators work with defense attorneys on capital punishment and criminal defense cases.

Many work for insurance companies to investigate suspicious claims.

Before the advent of no-fault divorce, many private investigators were hired to search out evidence of adultery or other conduct within marriage to establish grounds for a divorce.

Despite the lack of legal necessity for such evidence in many jurisdictions, according to press reports collecting evidence of adultery or other " bad behaviour " by spouses and partners is still one of the most profitable activities investigators undertake, as the stakes being fought over now are child custody, alimony, or marital property disputes.