factual research

Florida State University College of Law Research Center

Factual ResearchFall 2011


Credible sources

• Once you venture outside of trusted legal databases like Westlaw and LexisNexis to do non-legal research on the web, you need to evaluate the credibility of the resources you are using.


Finding People

Examples: •missing heirs •witnesses

• former spouses


Finding PeopleTelephone directory

whitepages.com

Fee-based service

Accurint

Dept. of Corrections

Inmate locater

Newspaper articles


Social Security Death indexhttp://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/


Finding Lawyers & Judges

• Lawyer with expertise about a subject area • Pro hoc vice• Opposing counsel’s demeanor & their prior cases• Judge’s demeanor & rulings in other cases


FindLaw Lawyer Directoryhttp://www.findlaw.com/


Finding Lawyers & Judges


Background info on Lawyers & Judges

Westlaw Profiler


Finding Experts

Directories: * ALM Experts* Experts.com

*Jurispro expert witness directory


Finding Experts – Jury Verdict Reporters


Finding Experts


Evaluating Experts

• Review an expert’s publications such as scholarly articles, and presentations.

• Review prior trial testimony to make an informed decision about their knowledge within their field of expertise.

• If possible, talk to other attorneys to find out about their reputation and credibility.

• Justia.com & Westlaw’s e-learning center also provide a helpful overview for finding and choosing experts to testify in your cases.


Science & Medicine

– Examining experts– Forensics & evidence– Abbreviations, terminology– Background information to

understand medical or scientific issues in worker’s comp, medical malpractice, and personal injury


Medical dictionaries & encyclopedias


NCSTL.org Forensic Database


NCST.org Forensic Database


Corporate Information

*Terminology*Company addresses

*Competitive intelligence*Business development

*Conflict research *Background info.

*Industry news

Start your research -Company website


Corporate Information

EDGAR search of public company filings with the SEC


Yahoo Finance - Source for business news


Florida Corporate Info


Public Records• Freedom of Information Act• Florida – Fla. Stat. Chapter 119 • Birth, Death, Marriage, & Divorce

records • Professional licenses• Court records• Criminal records• Bankruptcies, liens, judgments, • Assets


Foreign Countries


Ethics & Research

• Pursuant to the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act it is illegal to obtain private financial information under false pretenses or to hire someone to use false pretenses to receive the information.


Research Guide http://guides.law.fsu.edu/factualresearch

factual research

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conflict research

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nonlegal research onthe

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experts publications