WHAT IS
A CASE CARTOGRAPHER?
The cartographer draws the map. Counsel chooses the route.
At VdVLaw, Case Cartographer is the professional title I use for attorney-directed work that turns a matter's fragmented discovery, records, evidence and research into a structured, source-grounded picture of the case for counsel. Under counsel's direction, I show what the record contains and how its parts connect, set events in order, mark where accounts diverge, identify material not located in the production reviewed, and tie each point to its source. Legal analysis, strategy, advice and every decision about the route forward remain with counsel.
Drawn to the Scale You Need
A two-page reference you can carry into a hearing, drawn from the detailed review that remains available behind it.
Every Point Tied to Its Source
Each fact carries the document, page, Bates number or timestamp it came from, with events in order and the people, places and items that connect them.
Gaps Marked, Never Guessed
When the record refers to material the production does not contain, it is labeled not located in the production reviewed, never filled in with a guess.
You Choose the Route
The map shows the terrain. Legal analysis, strategy, advice and every decision in the case stay with you.
Where the map stops
Case Cartography stops where counsel's role, a license or another discipline begins. I do not give legal advice, appear in court, interview witnesses or investigate, testify, or work directly for the public. Requests and preservation letters are prepared for counsel's review and go out under counsel's signature. In capital cases I map the record alongside the mitigation specialist, never in place of one.
"I am told there are people who do not care for maps, and find it hard to believe."
Robert Louis Stevenson
The Framework
Case Cartography: A Professional Framework
The definition, standards, boundaries, competencies and workflow in one document, written so an attorney can see where the work ends and counsel's role begins. The work itself is billed through the service it falls under, with an estimate up front so you know the scope before anything begins.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Case Cartography the same as discovery review?
Discovery review is one part of it. Case Cartography looks across the available case record: reconciling what was produced against what the record says exists, tying every fact to its source, building the chronology, organizing the record around each count or issue, marking the gaps, attorney-directed research, and keeping the picture current as new discovery arrives. Discovery Cartography is the discovery-focused component of the broader Case Cartography framework. It works across matter types, and it earns its keep in habeas and resentencing work, where the record is old and scattered.
Who directs the work?
The attorney who retains VdVLaw. You set the scope in writing, I work inside it, and every decision about what the record means legally stays with you. My work is prepared confidentially for counsel's use within the attorney-directed matter. It is not prepared as testimony, and I do not serve as a witness in the case.
Does a Case Cartographer investigate?
No. I don't knock on doors; I draw the map the person who does will need. From the record I identify for counsel what may warrant investigative follow-up: the questions the record leaves open, records referenced but not located in the production reviewed, points where accounts diverge, and facts that could resolve them. That goes to counsel and, at counsel's direction, to the licensed investigator. Surveillance, witness interviews, field work and person-focused investigative research stay with the investigator, and what comes back gets mapped into the case.
Is Case Cartographer a license or a certification?
No. At VdVLaw, Case Cartography is the name of a discipline defined through a written framework of standards, boundaries and competencies. It is not a license, a certification or a legal specialization, and publishing the framework does not change the laws that apply to the underlying work.
All work is handled confidentially within the attorney-directed matter and prepared for counsel's use. Sensitive forensic interviews, including those conducted at Multidisciplinary Interview Centers, are handled with the discretion they require and are never used as work samples under any circumstances. Redacted samples of ordinary work are available on request, with all identifying information removed. Case Cartography is legal support work performed under attorney direction. It is not a license, certification or legal specialization, and it does not constitute legal advice. VdVLaw is not a law firm, and Robert van der Vijver is not an attorney.