What does the Supreme Court’s decision this week about the Privileges and Immunities Clause mean to investigators?

That they need to continue having a good national network to help one another.

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The Court this week upheld unanimously a Virginia law that grants the right to see documents under the state’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

What does it really mean when an investigator says that they are going to do a background search on a person and track down all the relevant documents “on the public record”? Well, let’s start with what it doesn’t mean: bank documents and cell phone records are not public record. Any investigator who tells you he can track these down for you is ostensibly promising to break more than a couple of laws to get you that information. In addition, given that he’s acting as your agent, odds are it could get you in a heap of trouble as well.

So what can you expect instead? Below is a list of the various public documents that you should expect from your investigator when investigating a person. Future blog posts will detail similar lists for background research on companies and for asset searches.
Continue Reading Scratching the Surface: Due Diligence and Public Record Searches

GettyImages_140827099.jpgWe have had a number of recent cases involving foreign companies who entered into large-scale sale agreements with American-based corporations.  These companies are run by sophisticated, experienced executives. In most instances, the agreements were for millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise. 

Both sides hired attorneys who scrutinized the proposed contracts.  They carefully considered payment and