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You just found out. Maybe it was a letter. Maybe it was a call from HR. Maybe a supervisor pulled you aside and told you a complaint had been filed. Maybe a university administrator informed you that an investigation was underway. However the news arrived, the effect is the same: your world shifted, your mind is racing, and you have no idea what to do next.
What you do in the first 72 hours can shape everything that follows. Not because the investigation will be resolved in 72 hours — it almost certainly will not — but because the decisions made in the immediate aftermath of learning about an investigation are often the ones that prove most consequential. Evidence is preserved or lost. Statements are made or withheld. Relationships are damaged or protected. Narratives begin to form. And the person best positioned to influence those early developments is you — if you act carefully and strategically.
Here is what you need to know.
This is the most important instruction, and it is also the hardest one to follow. When people learn they are under investigation, their instinct is to explain themselves. They want to tell their side of the story. They want to correct misunderstandings, provide context, and demonstrate that they have nothing to hide.
That instinct, however understandable, is dangerous.
Everything you say to colleagues, supervisors, administrators, or investigators — formally or informally, in person or in writing — can and will be used to evaluate your credibility, assess your conduct, and build a case against you. Statements made before you fully understand the allegations, before you have legal counsel, and before you know what evidence already exists are among the most common ways that people undermine their own defense.
This does not mean you should appear uncooperative or evasive. It means you should be deliberate. It means you should not volunteer information. It means you should not attempt to get ahead of the process by explaining yourself to anyone other than your attorney before you have a full picture of what you are facing.
Silence is not guilt. It is strategy.
The second thing people often do when they learn about a complaint is reach out — to the person who made the complaint, to colleagues who might have witnessed relevant events, or to anyone else they believe can help them. This almost always makes things worse.
Contact with a complainant during an active investigation can result in additional allegations of retaliation, harassment, or witness tampering. Even if your intentions are entirely innocent, the act of reaching out will be viewed through a lens of suspicion. It can transform a manageable situation into a far more serious one.
Do not send emails. Do not make phone calls. Do not approach anyone connected to the investigation, even casually. If you happen to encounter a relevant party in a shared workspace, keep the interaction brief and professional.
Let your attorney make contact when and if contact becomes appropriate.
While you are staying quiet and avoiding contact with others, you should be doing something else with urgency: preserving every document, communication, and record that might be relevant to your situation.
This means emails. Text messages. Meeting notes. Performance evaluations. Calendars. Photographs. Academic records. Correspondence. Anything that documents your conduct, your relationships, the events at issue, or the context surrounding the allegations.
Do not delete anything. Do not move files to trash. Do not assume that something is irrelevant because it does not seem directly connected to the allegation. An experienced attorney can help you assess relevance later. Right now, your job is to preserve.
Be aware that institutions often move quickly to secure their own records while those under investigation are still processing the news. By the time you understand the full scope of the allegations, evidence that might have supported your defense may have already been archived, lost, or withheld. Preservation is not optional — it is urgent.
Before memories fade, before your recollection is influenced by subsequent conversations or disclosures, write down everything you remember about the events at issue. Be as specific and detailed as possible. Dates, times, locations, participants, what was said, what was not said, and what you observed.
This written account is not a statement to be shared. It is not a document to be sent to investigators, administrators, or anyone else. It is a private record — created for the purpose of helping your attorney understand what happened and advise you effectively. Treat it as privileged from the moment you create it, and share it only with legal counsel.
Memories are more reliable when captured early. A detailed, contemporaneous account created in the first 72 hours is far more credible and useful than a reconstructed narrative assembled weeks later after the process has already shaped your recollection.
One of the most dangerous assumptions people make is that an investigation is still forming and that there is time to get ahead of it. In most cases, that assumption is wrong.
By the time you are notified of an investigation, the institution has typically already begun gathering information. Witnesses may have been interviewed. Documents may have been reviewed. Preliminary conclusions may already be forming. The notification you received is rarely the beginning of the process — it is simply the moment you became aware of it.
This reality underscores the importance of moving quickly — not rashly, but strategically. The window in which you can meaningfully influence the early stages of an investigation is narrow. Every day you spend confused, paralyzed, or making decisions without legal guidance is a day the process moves forward without your input.
Everything in this article points to the same conclusion: the most important thing you can do in the first 72 hours is contact an attorney who has experience with the type of investigation you are facing.
Not a friend who happens to be a lawyer. Not a family member with legal experience in a different area of practice. An attorney who understands institutional investigations, disciplinary proceedings, academic misconduct defense, or whatever specific process you are navigating.
An experienced attorney can help you understand what you are actually facing — which is frequently different from what the initial notification suggests. They can advise you on what to say, what not to say, and how to position yourself effectively before the process gains further momentum. They can identify evidence that needs to be preserved, evaluate the strength of the case being built against you, and begin developing a strategy that serves your interests rather than the institution's.
People who wait — who try to handle the early stages on their own, who assume the situation will resolve itself, or who underestimate the seriousness of what they are facing — consistently find themselves in worse positions than those who sought counsel immediately.
The first 72 hours matter. Make them count.
At Lamparello Law, we represent students, faculty members, professionals, and employees facing investigations, disciplinary proceedings, academic disputes, and other high-stakes institutional matters. We understand how these processes work, where they go wrong, and what it takes to protect your rights from the moment you learn a complaint has been filed.
If you have just learned that you are under investigation, do not wait. Contact Lamparello Law today to discuss your situation and understand your options before critical decisions are made.
© 2026 Adam Lamparello, Esq.
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