Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

Not true at all. It's sent to serve as notification of investigation, nothing more, nothing less. The inspector investigating isn't trying to "win" anything, they are trying to determine if there's a violation. It's very rare for an inspector to witness any kind of violation, it's almost always witnessed or captured some other way, then it goes to the inspector to determine if it really was a violation and if there were any mitigating or aggravating factors. I can assure you that these investigations can take sudden and opposite turns, which is why investigation happens in the first place. That's why I started out with the "if you know you did nothing wrong and that information hasn't gotten out/been brought up" then maybe you do need a lawyer. I'd rather that information be brought up as early as possible so the investigation can be closed, saving everyone money and time, but that's completely up to the individual, and if they feel they aren't being heard, it's their option to get an attorney. Maybe with John Burke's example, military people are just bad, I don't know, but he's painting with a rather broad brush. Those stereotypes are hard to get rid of, even with a good deal of time.