THE PARALEGAL’S GUIDE TO FACT FINDING - ONLINE
MARY ELLEN LEWIS, MLS, ESQ.
mlewisesq@charter.net
INTRODUCTION
There is an immense amount of information available on the Internet that is useful to paralegals and lawyers. The law practitioner is required
to do almost as much factual research as legal research to represent clients as zealously as possible.
For example, the personal injury lawyer may need to research expert witness physicians, visit accident sites, review medical records, research
the history of a certain model of vehicle involved in an accident, interview percipient witnesses, etc. and etc.
The probate attorney may need to search for beneficiaries, and may need to research death records. An elder law attorney will need to
research services to the elderly, including state long-term care profiles, directories of state agencies on aging and state long-term care
ombudsman programs, as well as guides to choosing nursing homes.
A family law lawyer may try to locate a dead-beat parent, or property located in a different state.
The permutations are endless, and fascinating. Factual research can be more challenging and stimulating than legal research and the
paralegal member of the legal team is often called upon to embark upon this type of research and to come up with quick results.
The Internet is the perfect tool for factual research. If you’re unfamiliar with a topic, a general search using a search engine like Google or
Yahoo will yield quick results - the challenge will be to distill the results into manageable units.
Using the Internet for factual research requires the use of a few preliminary guidelines: First, how narrow should your research terms be?
Which type of websites should you access? Can you find the type of material you need by using a search engine, or can you go directly to a
source? Should you use a non-Internet source before going online? Sometimes picking up a telephone book will be more efficient than going
online to www.anywho.com.
You’ll also want to check the credibility of your source. Just as in traditional legal research, where the final step is to Shepardize or KeyCite a
case to check its value, the online factual researcher needs to determine whether facts found are credible. You can consult a web site that
offers advice on determining the credibility of other sites - for example, Consumer Union’s Consumer WebWatch site at
www.consumerwebwatch.org. Other sites are www.webcredibility.org and the Librarians ‘ Index to the Internet, at http://lii.org. Checking
with your local public librarian will also yield benefits if you are uncertain about the credibility of a web site.
Look for an “about us” button on the website you’re using. Reputable sites always have one (usually on their home page), which should
provide a physical address and/or phone number you can contact. Next, try the Whois database (www.whois.com), which has contact
information for the business that registered the domain name. At Whois, you can learn where the site is based, among other things.
You can also check www.alexa.com, which lists websites by popularity. Although popularity doesn’t guarantee quality, it does suggest that
users of the sites have confidence in them. The lower the number, the more popular the site - for example, www.expedia.com was recently
listed at #170 among the millions of websites available.
SEARCH ENGINES
Of course, Google is the most popular search engine, with the added advantage of the
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Advanced Search option, which allows the searcher to use Boolean logic without the hard work of building the search language. Other useful
search engines to use - and don’t limit yourself to Google - are www.alltheweb.com, http://lawcrawler.lp.findlaw.com, www.altavista.com and
www.yahoo.com. Google remains the first and foremost search engine because it seems to return the most relevant results and it can search
various file formats (e.g., PDF files, PowerPoint files, Word files, Excel files, etc.), it can perform a newsgroup search (of Google Groups) and
it can conduct image searches.
The researcher can also retrieve phone numbers and addresses from its database - although the results are limited to published United States
telephone listings.
GENERAL FACTUAL RESEARCH
Where once the researcher was forced to go to the public or academic library to find information, now the library’s treasure trove of
information is available online - usually for the small price of obtaining a library card and, of course, having an online connection. Types of
resources available online through the public library include:
Dictionaries
Reference USA (telephone numbers and addresses for residences and business in the US)
Newspapers
Periodical Indices
Biographic Indices
Health and Medical Databases
If you don’t already have a library card for your local county library system, you can easily obtain one by just showing the circulation desk
staff some current identification. You’ll find the library’s online offerings to be invaluable resources.
Other general factual research can be conducted by accessing a local college or university library’s databases. Often you’ll not even need a
library card to access this resource. For example, the UCLA libraries are available online at www.ucla.edu. The BYU libraries are also
available online, at www.byu.edu. As well, community college libraries are excellent resources.
General reference materials can be located through library web sites, or through sources listed below:
www.bartleby.com (Offers a wide range of reference resources searchable online, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs and fact
books, Bibles and various thesauri)
www.refdesk.com (A web portal to thousands of other resources in categories including weather, sports, reference, dictionaries and
encyclopedias)
www.onelook.com (An online dictionary that allows wildcard search options if you’re uncertain of the spelling of a word)
www.dictionary.lp.findlaw.com (A legal dictionary you can also locate from FindLaw’s home page at www.findlaw.com)
www.mapquest.com (To retrieve maps, as well as driving directions)
www.geonames.usgs.gov (A U.S. Geological Service database of physical and cultural geographic features in the U.S.)
www.bartleby.com (Searchable index of thousands of quotations)
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NEWS - NEWSPAPERS AND BROADCAST MEDIA
News coverage can be an essential source of factual information for the researcher or investigator. Imagine an airplane crash or car accident
reported in the local newspaper, naming witnesses, parties, owners, etc. Most, if not all, news organizations maintain their own web sites.
Examples:
www.abc.com
www.cbs.com
www.latimes.com
www.nytimes.com
You can also use search engines to conduct general news searches:
http://news.google.com
www.altavista.com/news
www.newstrove.com
Wire services:
http://customwire,ap.org
www.bloomberg.com
www.reuters.com
www.upi.com
Law Journals:
www.lawnewsnetwork.com (Offers legal news and discussion groups)
www.courttv.com (Provides news articles on notable trials across the country and also documents in high profile trials)
www.lawyersweekly.com (Electronic version of East coast legal weekly offering links to primary legal resources useful for lawyers and
paralegals)
PUBLIC RECORDS AND STATISTICAL DATA SITES:
Each state’s Department of Health Services provides a wide variety of information including how to obtain birth, death and marriage
certificates, fee schedules and various vital statistics tables. California vital records can be located at http://www.dhs.ca.gov. Utah’s at
www.utah.gov/residents/healthandss.html.
Federal statistics can be accessed at www.fedstats.gov. Here, more than 70 federal agencies compile statistics of interest to the public. Links
to various federal statistics are also available, including those from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Bureau
of the Census and the National Center for Health Statistics. Full-text searching is available and some links to regional statistics are offered.
The Social Security Death Index is hosted by www.ancestry.com and allows searches of over 60 million names at no cost to get birth, death
and social security number information. Both basic and advanced search options are available.
A site maintained by the University of Michigan is located at www.law.umich.edu/library. Here, there is a wealth of statistical information
potentially useful to the factual and investigative researcher, organized in 24 topics ranging from agriculture to weather.
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The U.S. Postal Service maintains a site at www.usps.gov that contains much useful information such as zip codes, postage rate calculators,
post office locators, etc.
PRACTICE-AREA RESOURCES
Business
www.abanet.org/buslaw/home.html (Home page of the ABA section of Business Law)
www.corp.ca.gov (Official site of the California Department of Corporations)
www.business.utah.gov (Official site of the Utah Department of Corporations)
www.fdic.gov (Home page of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation)
www.hoovers.com (Home page of Hoover’s - a business database)
www.amex.com and www.nasdaq.com (NASDAQ and American Stock Exchanges)
www.nyse.com (This site provides comprehensive and current information on market performance and investment)
www.occ.treas.gov (This site contains an extensive list of reports and links to resources used by banking industry professionals)
www.edgar-online.gov (SEC Edgar database online)
www.sec.gov (Home page which offers a searchable database of all electronic company filings since 1994 and online access to proposed rules,
final rules, SEC concept and interpretative releases, policy statements, selected Staff Accounting Bulletins, SRO Rulemaking and other SEC
notices and information)
www.sba.org (Home page with extensive links to federal and other resources)
www.doc.gov (Home page of the U.S. Department of Commerce)
www.embassy.org (Site contains information on all foreign embassies in Washington, D.C.)
www.state.gov (Home page of the U.S. State Department with links to international and commercial laws and guides)
Bankruptcy
www.bankrupt.com (Contains links to U.S. and international bankruptcy and insolvency resource materials)
www.nabt.com (Home page for National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, with links to other organizations, primary law and associated
sites)
www.law.cornell.edu (Searchable copy of the Bankruptcy Code - USC title 11)
Labor and Employment
www.abanet.org/labor/home.html (Home page of the ABA section of Labor and Employment Law)
www.stats.bls.gov (Home page of the Bureau of Labor Statistics)
www.eeoc.gov (EEOC home page, links on how to file a claim and how to use FOIA - Freedom of Information Act)
www.nlrb.gov (Home page for National Labor Relations Board - contains links to manuals, notices, rules, regulations, decisions, forms and
labor facts)
www.osha.gov (Home page of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
www.ssa.gov (Home page of the Social Security Administration)
www.os.dhhs.gov (Home page of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
www.dol.gov (Home page of the U.S.Department of Labor containing links to statutory and regulatory information, labor data, small
business regulatory compliance assistance and departmental information)
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Criminal
www.afda.org (Home page of the Association of Federal Defense Attorneys)
www.capdefnet.org (Home page for the Capital Defense Network, a resources for supporting federal capital defense lawyers)
www.investigatornetwork.com (A site hosted by a former federal agent with a target audience of private investigators)
www.naag.org (National Association of Attorneys General home page)
www.ndaa.org (National District Attorneys Association home page)
Family Law
www.abanet.org/family/home.html (Home page of the ABA section of Family Law)
www.divorcenet.com (This site claims to be the largest divorce law site on the internet, and has state-by-state resources and educates clients
about the law, issues and procedures they will encounter. Content is written by participating firms that are available by link from the site)
www.findlaw.com (Findlaw’s family law link)
www.missingkids.org (Links to law enforcement, parental abductions, child abuse and neglect sites)
Intellectual Property
www.abanet.org/intelprop/home.html (ABA Section of Intellectual property home page)
www.aipla.org (Home page of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, containing interesting resources for IP professionals,
including commentary on legislation and rules and selected amicus briefs and links)
www.ipmal.fplc.edu (Home page of the Franklin Pierce Law Center Intellectual Property Mall - with extensive IP links and resources,
including courses, exams, jury instructions, briefing papers and an extensive list of international IP links)
Copyright
http://fairuse.Stanford.edu
(Stanford University pages on copyright and fair use)
www.loc.gov/copyright/forms (Copyright Office application forms in PDF format)
www.lcweb.loc.gov/copyright (Home page of the U.S. Copyright Office, containing forms, regulations, reports and other relevant materials)
Personal Injury and Negligence
www.abanet.org/tips/home.html (Home page of the ABA Section on Tort and Insurance Practice)
www.adr.org (Home page with an extensive collection of articles on a number of ADR topics)
www.certifiedphysician.org (American Board of American Specialties - provides information on board certification status of physicians and
the certification process)
www.ama.assn.org (Home page of the American Medical Association)
www.crashtest.com (A free online database compiled from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash-test data
covering many used and new vehicles going back to the 1970s)
www.graylab.ac.uk/omd (An online medical dictionary for looking up medical conditions and terminology)
Appellate Resources
www.appellate-counsellor.com (Developed and maintained by an appellate attorney, the site provides links to current decisions and
developments of interest to appellate counsel)
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Probate, Estate and Elder Law
www.abanet.org/rppt/home.html ( home page of the ABA section of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law)
www.elderweb.com (The Internet’s most comprehensive site on elder care, with thousands of links to elder care sites and resources on the
Internet)
www.dhhs.gov (Home page of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
www.dhhs.gov/topics/aging.html (Home page containing general information for consumers and those who provide services to the elderly)
www.va.gov (Home page for the Department of Veterans Affairs)
Environment
www.epa.gov (Environmental Protection Agency home page, containing a large collection of documents, links and reports compiled by the
EPA - searchable databases accessible from the site make it a valuable resource for the practitioner)
www.usgs.gov (Home page of the U.S. Geologic Survey, which has over 150 different servers on the Web, containing information on four
main topics - hazards, resources, environment and information management)
www.osha.gov (Home page of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
www.fws.gov (Home page of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Tax
www.irs.gov (Home page with extensive links to publications, forms, instructions and other tax information)
EXPERTS
www.claims.com (National Directory of Expert Witnesses - this expert witness database can be searched by keyword or browsed by subject
category and expert name)
www.expertpages.com (Free directory for locating information on expert witnesses and consultants through the Internet)
www.expertlaw.com (Free directory for locating experts according to area of specialization)
www.certifieddoctor.org (This site contains a database for locating certified specialists in the medical field)
PEOPLE
www.switchboard.com (A service locating people and their addresses)
http://yahoo.com (Searchable database for the telephone numbers or e-mail addresses of individuals nationwide)
www.bigfoot.com (Searchable directory for people)
www.whowhere.lycos.com (Searchable directory for people)
www.anywho.com (Searches U.S. telephone books for published phone numbers and addresses)
COMPANIES/BUSINESSES
www.brint.com (This site contains a meta-index of business, management and information technology topics)
www.company.sleuth.com (This site provides free access to publicly traded company information on the Internet)
www.dnb.com (Home page of Dun & Bradstreet - subscribers can request reports and run queries on proprietary databases via the Internet)
www.library.hbs.edu/compind (Harvard Business School library maintains a collection of links useful for locating companies and company
information on the Internet)
www.annualreportservice.com (This site provides free access to annual reports of over 2200 companies and contains links to the SEC’s Edgar
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database for filings)
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