Can ChatGPT Help in an Investigation?
ChatGPT now comes up in most of the extended conversations I have with lawyers about how things are going. Many rave about how easy it is to have this robot whip up a simple motion or even, in one example, “a short speech about NATO defense…
When Too Few Regulatory Problems Add to Risk
One indispensable part of due diligence is to check for regulatory sanctions. Was a company found by the SEC or FINRA to have misappropriated investor money? Put them in unsuitable investments? Lied on a filing to induce people to invest money…
Crypto Searches in Divorce
As Bitcoin surges in value once again, divorcing spouses may be tempted to convert cash into electronic currency. Finding it can be harder than finding cash, but if you do find it, you can make a comparatively fast case that your spouse is undercounting…
5 Things You Need to Survive and Thrive After a Divorce
Philip Segal's lengthy interview about asset searching with divorce journalist Ilyssa Panitz is here:
https://medium.com/authority-magazine/financial-investigator-philip-segal-5-things-you-need-to-know-to-survive-and-thrive-during-and-6ab7f6cbf4b6
It…
Tips on Tracking Down Secret Companies
Some people just like privacy, but others form companies with a view to concealing any link between that company and themselves. If you are hiding assets from creditors, that’s a plus (for you, not the creditors).
Picking a company name can…
Sorting Out the Evidence – From Pristine to Lousy
Investigators are in the business of gathering evidence. Beyond gathering, there is the equally important job of analyzing. Good fact gatherers need to report on evidence but also where it comes from and how reliable it may be.
Evidence was…
The Missing Piece in an Asset Search
Clients who hire us for asset searches always want to know what we find. As often as not, the big news after an asset search is when we don’t find something we should be seeing but are not.
When someone is concealing the truth, they often…
Unbundling: It Makes Sense for Non-Lawyers Too
Just back from the ABA’s family law conference where I gave a talk on asset searching, I heard a wonderful talk from the “father of unbundling” of legal services, Forrest “Woody” Mosten. He is a high priced divorce lawyer practicing…
EB-5 Visa Due Diligence: How to Spot the Warning Signs of Fraud
Another EB-5 visa fraud, more burned investors. For people outside the United States trying to pick a reputable investment that will get them permanent residency in the U.S., sorting through hundreds of projects is often the hardest part of…
The Yelp Defense: Internet Garbage Isn’t Our Problem
When your defense is that the law allows you to publish garbage without fear of prosecution, one takeaway is simple: the internet is filled with garbage that needs to be well verified before you rely on it.
This blog thinks the Ninth Circuit…
