Finding &
Backgrounding People
Research Madness
March 22, 2010
When Do You Need to Research People?
• You are searching for a job and want to
learn more about the employees at a firm.
• You are conducting client development.
• You need to find the address of a
defendant for proper service of process.
• You need to identify experts in a field.
• You are appearing before a judge and
want to know more about her record.
• Others?
Specialized Directories
• Directories of Courts & Judges research
guide
• Directories of Lawyers research guide
• Directories of Expert Witnesses
– Zimmerman’s Research Guide
– WorldCat: Witnesses—United States—
Directories
Words of Warning
• Today’s focus is on freely-available
resources, or subscription resources
which are available to Duke users.
• Your law firm may have access to a wider
variety of premium people-finding tools:
– Westlaw PeopleMap (or WestlawNext)
– LexisNexis SmartLinx
Key to Successful Fact Research
• When you need to research any factual
information, consider this question:
“Who cares?”
• The answer will determine the best
starting place to find the facts you need.
The “Who Cares” Rule
• The “Who cares?” principle also applies
to people-finding, but could be adjusted to:
“Who knows?”
• Consider the amount of information we
give out about ourselves regularly.
The Government
Federal
State
County/Local
• Social Security
Administration
• Internal
Revenue
Service
• Federal
Election
Commission:
campaign
contributions
• DMV
• Tax
department
• Other
licensing
boards
(professional &
recreational)
• County clerk:
vital records
(born, married,
divorced, died)
• Tax assessor:
Real property &
some assets
• Board of
Education
• Public library:
records &
contact info
Data Brokers
• There are also a lot of private companies
that know a lot about you!
– ChoicePoint (purchased by LexisNexis)
– Intelius
• Marketers buy this information and use it
to target advertising.
– Do Not Call: https://www.donotcall.gov/
– Stop Credit Card Offers:
https://www.optoutprescreen.com
People-Finding
Tools & Strategies
Basic Web Searches
• Google (with advanced search tips)
• Pipl: search by name, email address,
online username, phone numbers
• Birthdatabase: limited birthday &
address information; links to premium
reports
• ZoomInfo: free front-end to Intelius; links
to premium reports
Addresses & Phone Numbers
• Anywho: online phone directory; current
listings only (no cellular)
• FoneFinder: Number information lookup
• Westlaw: NEWMOVERS database
• LexisNexis: Locate a Person Nationwide
database (Public Records > View More Sources);
includes current & past addresses
• Google Maps & Bing Maps for satellite
views
Vital Records
• Generally held at county level.
• “Public record” ≠ “free on the Internet”!
• Minimum requirement: available upon
inspection.
• Research/copying service may be
available (for a fee).
• Some governments will make records
available online.
Asset Searches
• Real property records are generally
available at the county government level.
– Durham County (NC)
– Orange County (NC)
• Commercial data brokers may be able to
access more asset information.
• Unclaimed.org: Does someone owe you?
Political Information
• Voter registration: also county
government level. Searchability will vary.
– Durham County (NC): gives back addresses
– Los Angeles County (CA): adds required
fields
• Campaign contributions
– FEC Search
– OpenSecrets
– State searches will vary
Professionals
• LinkedIn: some info publicly visible
• Employer directories
– Governments (may include salaries)
– Academic sector
– Company information resources (3/26
workshop) usually include key personnel
• Presentations/activities (experts)
Bad Professionals
• Information on license status and
disciplinary proceedings are generally kept
at state government level.
• Doctors: State Medical Boards [NC]
• Lawyers: State Bar [NC]
• Electricians [NC]
• Plumbers [NC]
Brushes with the Law
• Current inmates (and some past)
– Federal: Bureau of Prisons
– State: Departments of Corrections [NC]
• Criminal history
– CriminalSearches.com (limited info)
– Megan’s Law registries [NC]
– Local papers may include police reports. [NY]
• Lawsuits
– Docket & case research (3/29 workshop)
The Inevitable
• Death certificates are maintained at the
county level.
• Social Security Death Index: Deaths
reported to SSA.
• Obituaries can provide a wealth of
information about a person– and their
survivors.
– America’s Newspapers
– Local papers, again
Pitfalls of People-Finding
• Privacy concerns
– “Legitimate purpose”
– Identity theft risks
– Human-flesh search engines
• Ethical concerns (pretexting)
• Data errors
– Sound-alike names
– Misspellings
– Incorrect information – no warranties
Questions?
Jennifer L. Behrens
Reference Librarian
behrens@law.duke.edu
(919) 613-7198
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Zimmerman’s Research Guide
Directories of Courts & Judges
Directories of Lawyers
LexisNexis
Westlaw
Upcoming Research Madness
THIS WEEK
NEXT WEEK
MON. Finding & Backgrounding
People
Finding Forms, Court Rules,
& Court Filings
TUE.
Essential Elements of the 2L
Job Search (12:15; rm 3041)
Course Selection &
Career Planning (3043)
WED. Free & Low-Cost Legal
Research
THU.
Tackling Tax Research
FRI.
Business & Company
Information