Every year I work on 200+ civil litigation investigations for attorneys throughout the state of Arizona. These cases can be the most enjoyable & complex cases a private investigator will ever work on.
Tasks very from case to case: witness interviews, background investigations, scene investigations, asset tracking, etc. And while there are numerous methods, techniques, and resources that I utilize to uncover facts and evidence to support my client’s position, there has been one superpower source of information that has consistently delivered time and time again: family court records.
In most states, family court records are easily accessible. Identifying them can be a challenge sometimes, but it’s worth the effort. To start, an investigator needs to identify relevant jurisdictions where these cases might be located. This requires a thorough understanding of how to properly research an individual’s geographical footprint. And to complicate things, if you are researching a female individual, you likely will need to know the various names that she has utilized (maiden name, married name, family names, etc.). I have said this before, but it’s worth repeating. Most game changing investigative research comes down to first conducting proper background research.
Once the target’s name and geographical footprint have been determined, make a list of courts to be searched and start looking for records. Not sure where to go to search a certain court in a certain state? Check out BRB Publications free record search. Trust me, it will save you LOTS of time. As you identify family court records (divorce files, child custody disputes, orders of protection, etc.), request the hard files. To locate critical information, it’s a must that you read through the file.
So, what can you possible uncover in a family court file? Turns out you can learn a lot about someone such as where they work, how much money they make, where they have lived, investments that they hold, assets – both tangible and intangible, business ownership, allegations & gossip, names of additional witnesses, criminal history, contacts with law enforcement, drug & alcohol abuse, etc. You will be surprised just how much can be learned!
Next time you are retained to work on civil litigation, consider researching family court records. Public records, and the information that they can provide, often far surpass what you will learn from a data aggregator and will separate you as an investigator from everyone else!