Helping lawyers, business, and private clients win since 1996

Spencer Legal Investigations serves businesses, lawyers, and discerning private clients with consulting services and private investigations in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Mike Spencer Private Investigator
Our Founder: Mike Spencer

Mike Spencer has spent more than 30 years interviewing and investigating people and subjects, first as a newspaper reporter and the last 24 years as a private investigator in the San Francisco Bay Area. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College and a master’s degree from UC-Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Mike Spencer founded Spencer Legal Investigations to bring intensity and integrity to his private investigations business. He is ethical and effective. He knows he can’t help every potential client but commits to his cases and strives to give the best advice to anyone who calls. Private investigations is the ultimate what have you done for me lately business. Spencer delivers results over and over for more than two decades.  He is adept at doing surveillance at 4 a.m. or building rapport with witnesses in homicide and wrongful death cases.

What Makes Us Different?

Mike Spencer and his staff have deep roots in the East Bay and Bay Area. He is familiar with all the cities, neighborhoods, police departments, courts, public agencies, media sources, and other resources for obtaining information. He and his staff either do the work directly or work closely with associates, fellow private investigators if the extra help is warranted. Spencer only partners with the best help. Unfortunately, many private investigator agencies advertise and either doesn’t perform the work themselves or are not even from the Bay Area. Unscrupulous private investigators might farm out your work to unqualified strangers.

His work style is he would rather focus and be meticulous about each case than spread himself thin and lose focus. He has learned from working with and watching some of the best attorneys that each case takes total commitment. Spencer brings integrity, candor and trust to his clients. Legal cases, or perhaps any dispute, are about taking the high road. Spencer offers credible court testimony and would never jeopardize a case by taking ethical shortcuts.

Spencer plans on being in business for years to come. He knows that a good reputation is continually earned and never be taken for granted. Check some of the Yelp reviews and references. Mr. Spencer’s dedication has earned him honors from readers of The Recorder legal newspaper, who have several times voted him best Private Investigator/Skip Tracer. His professional articles have appeared in magazines from the Alameda County Bar Association and Alameda Contra Costa Trial Lawyers Association. He is a leader in the investigations community, not just locally but nationally. His mini-memoir, Private Eye Confidential, Stories From a Real P.I., was published by 99: The Press and tells how he transitioned from reporting to legal investigations. It also highlights some of his early cases and what the job has taught him

Mike Spencer finds facts that others cannot find.  He has been very reliable over the years.

Voted Best Private Investigator by
Readers of The Recorder Legal Newspaper

Specializing in criminal defense and personal injury investigations

Criminal Defense Investigations Walnut Creek California Sidebar
Personal Injury Investigations Car Accident

WHAT WE DO

Our Services

Spencer Legal Investigations provides industry-focused investigation services for attorneys, legal teams, and select private clients.

Our experienced investigators combine over 30 years of investigative experience to give our clients the support they need — wherever you need it, from here in California to across the United States, thanks to our network of investigators, we can help you craft the absolute best investigative strategy to ensure you get the best results – always.

Client Testimonials

Mike Spencer is a great investigator and our law firm has worked with him for years.  He has found witnesses for me that were incredibly difficult to find.  In particular, he found and subpoenaed a key witness in a homicide trial that later testified that another person, not my client, had committed the homicide.  He is also honest, reliable, and a straight shooter.  I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Mike Spencer finds facts that others cannot find.  He has been very reliable over the years.

I use Mike Spencer for skip traces, recorded witness statements, human dat base searches, neighborhood canvassing for witnesses, scene photography, anything that needs boots on the ground asap to get the evidence, Mike is your man.

“Mike Spencer is a very good and very smart private investigator. I have worked with Mike on many cases both criminal and civil. Mike always comes through when we need him and we need him. He helps me and helps the clients. I highly recommend Mike to any attorney and or client. Mike is invaluable.”

“Mike is my ‘go to’ investigator. Getting a statement from a witness is not as easy as it sounds. But when I need to get a witness to cooperate I can rely on Mike to get the job done. Countless times Mike has come through with key statements that have made a difference in my criminal and civil cases.”

“What I also appreciated with Mike Spencer is that there were no surprises in his invoices. I have practiced law over 20 years and have hired many private investigators. If you think lawyers nickel and dime clients to death, lawyers are nothing compared to some private investigators! So I was pleasantly pleased with Mike’s invoices and reports. If you need an investigator in the Bay Area, call Mike Spencer first!”

“It was clear that Mr Spencer treated my final objective as his objective rather than taking the position that he had fulfilled the services of the original plan regardless of whether my objective was achieved or not. And just as importantly, the additional work required of him was all performed within the original retainer. – there was no ‘nickeling and dime-ing’ even when I asked him on occasion to look into this or that or follow-up on a side lead.”

“I have contacted SLI and used their services a couple of times over the past two years. I have always been satisfied with their results. The information provided was accurate and timely. No doubt, SLI prevented a close family member from being victimized financially. I know I can always count on Mike when I need investigative services.”

Request a Consultation

(510) 593-3767 – Inquiries@spencerpi.com

Our clients need to address issues that are tougher and more urgent than ever before. That is why our team of investigators is available to work at all times of the day.

We undertake our work with intensity and integrity. We listen to your needs and will tailor an investigative strategy to meet your goals. We have done everything from winning the trust of crucial witnesses to obtaining results on surveillance in tough neighborhoods at 4:00 a.m.

All communications and contact with Spencer Legal Investigations, Inc. are held in the strictest confidentiality.

 

Contact Us
  • Available 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. 7 days a week.
  • Phone: (510) 593-3767
  • By Appointment Only

    We do not accept drop-ins.

  • inquiries@spencerpi.com
  • 1990 N. California Blvd 8th Floor

    Walnut Creek, CA 94596

Our Company
  • California PI License

    No. 27543.

  • Confidentiality Notice

    All communications and contact are held in the strictest confidentiality.