Lawsuit Records Search Basics

Learn more about lawsuit records search basics

By Carol Francois
Identify the kind of information you need when launching a lawsuit search. Find out the court where it was filed, state, city and year. Judges names are very helpful to begin your search, but if you don't have that information, make sure that you have the correct spelling and date on the defendant and/or the plaintiff.

Lawsuit searches are typically slow and require a significant amount of effort to product results. Do as much of the work yourself in order to reduce the overall costs of this project. Use libraries, law schools and free legal advisers to gain as much information as possible. Follow the three steps below to enhance your knowledge of lawsuit records search basics.

1. Use a free lawsuit database.

2. Meet with private investigation firms to complete a lawsuit search.

3. Hire a law firm to complete a lawsuit records search.

 

Investigate free lawsuit database

Make a list of the information that you need to find in a lawsuit search. Think about the type of law, the jurisdiction or court where the lawsuit would have been filed. Speak with your legal adviser about using a lawsuit database to search lawsuits. Discuss the method used when filing a lawsuit to determine the more likely method for success in a lawsuit look up project.
Try: Look at the public lawsuit databases available for free on the Internet. The Online Public Records Search and the Free Records Registry both provide tools to assist with this task. When you are searching for lawsuit records, make a note of what your find and request copies from the court where the lawsuit was filed. These copies provide greater detail than can be found using search tools.

Hire a private investigation firm to complete a lawsuit search

Locate a private investigation firm that has the skills necessary to complete a law suit search. Provide them with the details required to complete a proper search for the law suit. Keep confidential or personal information separate, as private investigators are not lawyers, and are not covered by client-lawyer confidentiality.
Try: Meet with representatives from firms, such as Your Own Private Eye or Intelius to discuss your needs. When looking for private investigator firm to complete a law suit search, check their credentials and references with care. These firms often charge less than a law firm, but the savings are only realized if they complete the work as assigned.

Engage a specialist firm to complete a lawsuit records search

Hire a lawsuit records search firm to assist you in the search for lawsuits. Meet with the firms and discuss your specific requirements. Ask about fees, timeline and confidentiality. Discuss who will be responsible to look up lawsuits on your behalf and outline what steps you would like to follow when then find lawsuits that match your requirements.
Try: Schedule meetings with firms, such as AAA Credit or KnowX to discuss your needs. When looking for law suit search firms, try to locate ones in the city or state when the suit was originally filed. Due to their location, they would be able to locate, copy and send the public lawsuit records and files to you at a lower cost than a firm located further away.

 

  • A lawsuit search provides access to important legal history, legal precedent and can be a great assistance when fighting a lawsuit. Spend the time to check reference of any firm your hire to ensure you get value for your money.

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