![\"Investigation](\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/lawgical\/assets\/data\/986\/original.jpg\" "\\"investigation-information-with-context\\"")
A successful attorney wouldn\u2019t go to trial without corroborating evidence to defend their party in the matter, and wouldn\u2019t build a case on just hearsay.\u00a0 It is equally critical to avoid utilizing investigative research that doesn\u2019t include appropriate context information.<\/p>\n
Most anything which happens in life has meanings which differ depending on the context in which it occurs.\u00a0 Likewise, context is vital to any case.\u00a0 Investigative results must be qualified.<\/p>\n
Background investigations cannot be conducted by simply running a name through a database, searching court records and then putting the findings into a report.\u00a0 There are many different factors which must be considered and addressed to create a background investigation of value.\u00a0 That value is created in the context of the research.<\/p>\n
Name Context<\/strong><\/p>\n Many people have name variations or a.k.a.s which they use.\u00a0 Examples of this include women who have both a maiden name and a married name, and people of nationalities that traditionally to use both the mother\u2019s and father\u2019s last names (ex: Jose Herberto Lopez Gonzales; with Lopez Gonzales being the last names).\u00a0 Therefore, an investigation should include all of the name variations a person uses in order for the research to be considered complete and accurate.\u00a0 It is the job of the investigator to identify any name variations a subject has used.\u00a0 Should not all name variations be researched it must be spelled out in the report that the results only include the name variations that were actually searched.\u00a0 The report should include a statement such as \u201cthe research was conducted using the name Rebecca Johnson however the name Becky Johnson was not searched.\u201d That gives the attorney context for the results identified.<\/p>\n Location Context<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong>A proper investigation should begin by developing an address history for the person being investigated.\u00a0 This provides a list of the various jurisdictions in which a person has resided and thus sets the stage for where records should be searched.\u00a0 The locations that were searched should be notated in the investigative report, as this is imperative to establish the meaning of the results.<\/p>\n Many investigative companies or online pay-per-search indexes will claim that they search records filed for a person in a specific state or nationwide.\u00a0 They may, for example, entreat you to \u201csearch criminal records in California.\u201d Those search results would likely include a simple \u201cno records found\u201d or \u201cone record found\u201d statement.\u00a0 Such a search would not actually cover all of California, but rather a smattering of localities within the state.\u00a0 Therefore, it would be unknown if the specific counties, districts, and courts that were actually searched included the jurisdictions relevant to the actual investigation.<\/p>\n Time\/Scope Context<\/strong><\/p>\n Just as location context is crucial, the time frame that is searched, or scope of the research, is also vital to any investigation.\u00a0 To claim that a certain number of records were found means nothing unless the date ranges searched are listed.\u00a0 Were no records found for the subject since the year in which he\/she turned 18 years old, or, were no records found to have been filed in the past ten years for that person?\u00a0 Also, how current are the results?\u00a0 It would be important to know if the results were current as of this year or as of this month.\u00a0 That\u2019s information that you and your client must know.<\/p>\n As with background investigations, asset searches also require the context of scope to be accurate and complete. The investigator should notate if both current and historic records were searched.\u00a0 Historic property records, for example, would likely provide sale transactions and refinance information, which can be just as valuable as currently owned property assets. It is therefore important to understand if both current and historic records are included in the investigative report.<\/p>\n Context information can make or break a case.\u00a0 As a client, it is not too much to expect for an investigative report to outline the specific contexts which create the value in the information developed.\u00a0 Information without applicable context is just entertainment.\u00a0 As an investigator, it is your responsibility to provide the details which add the value to your product.\u00a0 Providing research parameters and context in your investigative report is not only simple due diligence but also your responsibility to the client.\u00a0 Ignoring context can not only hinder an investigation but can leave both the investigator and client liable for missed information.<\/p>\n -By Kelly Cory, President of Keystone Investigative Services, Inc. Kelly Cory<\/em> is a licensed private investigator who specializes in litigation support.\u00a0 She has been sought out for her expertise in background investigations, interviewed for papers and books on the topic of database research and has provided consultation to national database companies regarding the importance of information context. You can visit her\u00a0company’s website\u00a0at www.keystoneis.com.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A successful attorney wouldn\u2019t go to trial without corroborating evidence to defend their party in the matter, and wouldn\u2019t build a case on just hearsay.\u00a0 It is equally critical to avoid utilizing investigative research that doesn\u2019t include appropriate context information. Most anything which happens in life has meanings which differ depending on the context in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559,533,556],"tags":[560,538,539,544,553,525,554,529,555,531,557,534,558,536,537],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.keystoneis.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPublished in PINow 8\/2012<\/p>\n