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LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines said today the district is hiring outside lawyers to assist in any matter that might arise out of the grand jury investigation of the district’s procurement of digital devices.

Cortines said the lawyers would provide legal advice should the authorities seek to interview or subpoena district officials as part of the investigation.

“I am advised that such investigations typically take a very long time and that we may not hear back from the federal agencies for months,” Cortines said in a brief statement, issued by the district. “However, when we hear back, they may request to interview individuals or subpoena them to testify before a grand jury.  They also may decide not to proceed if they determined that there were no grounds to move forward.

Grand jury investigations are generally conducted with great secrecy, which means it remains unclear whether the focus of the probe is LA Unified or any of the companies involved in the procurement process.