Tag Archive for: litigation
Local Public Records: Offline and On Foot
On Election Day, it's useful to remember that Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill's famous assertion that "All politics is local" can apply to investigations as well.
When we're tasked with a public records search, our clients expect that we'll review federal and state government records. What they may not realize, though, is that an exhaustive public records search also requires digging through local public records, which may be a treasure trove of offline information unavailable elsewhere. Remember, though: There's local and then there's local. Think of it as gradually smaller geographic circles until you hone in on where the person you're investigating actually lives or works.
Scratching the Surface: Due Diligence and Public Record Searches
What does it really mean when an investigator says that they are going to do a background search on a person and track down all the relevant documents "on the public record"? Well, let's start with what it doesn't mean: bank documents and cell phone records are not public record. Any investigator who tells you he can track these down for you is ostensibly promising to break more than a couple of laws to get you that information. In addition, given that he's acting as your agent, odds are it could get you in a heap of trouble as well.
So what can you expect instead? Below is a list of the various public documents that you should expect from your investigator when investigating a person. Future blog posts will detail similar lists for background research on companies and for asset searches.
