Use of Special Knowledge in Investigations Into Criminal Offences Involving Provision of Professional Legal Aid
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32353/khrife.2.2026.08Keywords:
criminal offense; pre-trial investigation; special knowledge; forensic examination; specialist; forensic expert; specialist’s opinion; expert’s opinion.Abstract
The research paper explores theoretical and practical aspects of utilising special knowledge during investigations into criminal offences involving professional legal aid. The Article Purpose is to clarify specific features of the use of special knowledge during investigations into this category of crime, to identify the most common forms of its application, and to develop specific forensic guidelines for enhancing efficiency of pre-trial investigations. The methodological basis of the research includes general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction and generalisation, as well as dialectical, formal-legal, systemic-structural, comparative-legal and formal-logical methods. The study analyses and summarises academic views on the use of special knowledge in investigations into criminal offences against justice and determines the specifics of how such expertise is used in professional legal practice. It is substantiated that common procedural forms of the application of special knowledge in such criminal proceedings are the participation of specialists during investigative (search) actions, the conduct of forensic examinations, and the interrogation of forensic experts in court. It has been demonstrated that the most relevant one is the use of special medical knowledge, since attacks on the life and health of lawyers are quite common these days. Typical issues of utilising special knowledge have been singled out. A system of forensic guidelines intended for improving the ordering/conduct of forensic examinations and enhancing the use of special knowledge during the investigation of criminal offenses involving professional legal aid has been proposed. The authors concluded that the application of special knowledge serves as a foundational component of the proof procedure and is an essential element of forensic support for investigations into this category of criminal offenses.
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