Good morning, Mr.Harrell,

I am currently enrolled in your online private investigator school with goals of becoming a Private Investigator in the next year or so depending on being able to find an internship when I am through. Forgive me for asking, I am sure that it is somewhere in your course material but I was wondering what the three most used sources used by a legal investigator are, aside from the usual sources (Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Social Security Admin., Clerk of Courts, etc.)? Would discovery and disclosure be considered a source in and of itself even though it may contain information from some of the aforementioned sources? I hope you don’t mind my inquiry. Thank you for your time! -BJ

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Absolutely! Information found in discovery and deposition documentation is vital to conducting a thorough legal investigation (including information gathered from testimony by subjects in unrelated legal matters). “Legal Investigators,” in particular, usually incorporate information culled from scene investigations, witness interviews and a gathering of the forensic facts.

Beyond discovery, here are some additional sources:

• Information Brokers and Databases such as IRBsearch, TLO, TracersInfo, etc.
• Witness Statements and Interviews
• Photographic Documentation and Aerial Imagery of Accident Scenes
• Internet, “Deep Web” and Social Networking Sites
• Motor Vehicle and Law Enforcement Generated Reports
• Forensics, Autopsy and Medicolegal Reports
• Federal and State Laws, Rules and Regulations
• Local Ordinances
• Product Safety Standards, Department of Transportation Rules, Engineering Requirements, etc

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Let’s not forget legal research techniques, too:
Tacking Legal Research Assignments for Private Investigators
Best of the Best Legal Research Sources

I can go on and on, really… It’s my pleasure to reply and best of luck in your continued studies.

-Scott Harrell

Tags: civil records, Information, public records