that he has a directional motivation toward a particular outcome which could bias his search and interpretation of evidence. Hence, he would not be an independent source of information.

I see what you're saying about the monetary incentives and motives the lawyer has. Auditors have to follow pretty specific rules regarding conflicts of interest, and he probably fits the bill on paper. But you could certainly question the possibility of a conflict of interest here. Hill isn't doing this to be compliant with some regulation; he's doing it to appear clean and unbiased, and if he really hired this guy, he failed in that aspect. I'm sure you wouldn't find a BYU fan and Y law graduate to lead the investigation b/c you wouldn't find it to be an unbiased source of information, either. You want someone who is far, far removed from anything having to do with the University, the athletic program, and the people involved.