By conducting a large amount of electronic records research in federal, state, and local jurisdictions, you will know how long it can take to access the many courts across the country. Unless you are already familiar with a particular court’s online accessibility, finding fast, reliable, and inclusive new case data can be challenging.
While some researchers collect dozens of bookmarks or rely on their intranet for most of the courts they access, a more efficient method is a portal, a single site that maintains links to all available courts. A docket portal functions as a way for investigators to access case files in all available jurisdictions very quickly. However, as an alternative to accessing cases through a portal, investigators can also use providers’ databases to locate information in the file. These sites collect data from many jurisdictions, provide a single user interface, uniform records, and advanced search functionality.
So which one provides better results for locating and obtaining short case files, portals, or databases? It often depends on your exact goal, your deadline, your budget, and your skills as an investigator. As with most online research, it is often necessary to access multiple sources for the best results. An excellent starting point is online legal files [http://www.LegalDockets.com]
Availability of information on court cases
Almost all federal district courts are now using the federal judiciary’s CM / ECF system, which can be easily accessed with a PACER account. This system provides public access to each court’s records database and includes images of electronic documents and files. There are currently more than 27 million civil, criminal and bankruptcy cases in CM / ECF, and you will soon have access to federal appeals courts. Additionally, investigators can also access a nationwide database of case lists through the US PACER Party / Case Index. While these databases are inexpensive, easy to use, and slightly improved with With each new version, from the point of view of an expert researcher, its search capabilities are limited.
The availability and scope of state, county, and local court records and summary case information online vary widely. Each jurisdiction has its own rules and restrictions that determine what will be considered public or private and how your data may be used. For example, some courts allow the public to access their data, but do not allow commercial providers to aggregate and resell it. Additionally, since so many different state courts use different file formats and methods to produce case data, it can be difficult and time-consuming for business file data aggregators to add jurisdictions to their collections. With this in mind, it is likely that a good records portal can contain access to more courts than a commercial database provider. However, state courts may require the creation of individual accounts to access your records, which may initially slow down your investigative efforts.
Updated case data
Since a portal simply links directly to each court’s publicly accessible website, how often the case information is updated depends on each court’s procedures. For example, the federal district CM / ECF court data is active. After a court clerk or attorney makes an entry in the file, it appears almost instantly online. But many state, county, and local courts caution that your web files should not be trusted and that they are not updated daily. It is important to investigate how often a court case data is updated if you visit their site regularly for the purpose of monitoring case activity.
When searching for case files using a database, it is important to know the depth and breadth of the data collection you are looking for. If a database is incomplete or has not been updated correctly, you will not get accurate results. Sometimes locating a file that has not been updated in many months can be helpful, while other times it is not. Often times, these services allow you to search your internal database to locate a case and then allow you to access an up-to-date record immediately from the court database. However, if a court only updates your data on a weekly basis and you are using a commercial database to check a file on a daily basis, you are wasting your money.
File content and format
Federal district court records are generally simple, uniform, and relatively easy to interpret. These files continue to become more uniform every day thanks to CM / ECF’s electronic case filing procedures. However, state court records can be difficult to read. Furthermore, the information they contain and how it is presented varies significantly. Some contain only very basic information about the case or a list of the filing fees paid. Some contain information on movement, disposition, clerk entries, and document images. Every court is different, and interpreting your version of a “record” may be difficult based on your experience with that jurisdiction and your familiarity with court records in general. While the appearance, content, and format of state court records often differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, there are exceptions. Some states use a uniform case information database across the state, and some short databases have identical user interfaces because their case management systems were created by the same software developers.
Commercial databases collect case information and present case files in a somewhat uniform format and add additional information and embedded links. For example, they can add value to their files by consolidating information, adding useful narrative, links to law firm information, case citations, and investigator-assisted document recovery services.
Prices
While there are only a few good case information portals on the web, you generally get what you pay for (or don’t pay for). Free public record portals are generally updated less frequently than paid sites, contain broken or outdated links, are incomplete, and display distracting advertisements. Fee-based portals generally offer more detailed information and a professional appearance, charge inexpensive monthly or annual subscription fees, and provide better results for serious investigators.
Commercial databases try to provide the best user interface and include useful services that public access court records databases do not offer. The additional added value of these databases can be seen in features such as their ability to provide full-text case searches, automated case monitoring for new and existing cases, and custom case data reporting.
What to look for in a good portal
-Very focused-
While the ability to search for your neighbor’s nameplate license may be helpful to some, you don’t want to waste time searching through an overly inclusive list of public records database links. If you have to review too many links that are not useful, the value of the portal is significantly reduced.
-Good links-
If you find that court links are often broken, diverted, or only directed to court home pages, you are wasting valuable research time. New publicly accessible short case databases are constantly available online. If a portal does not routinely add new links to its collection, it is not complete.
-Cost-
A good portal will definitely save you time and money when searching for information about the case. The portals are used by small businesses to economically satisfy their research needs, without the pressure of negotiating large and expensive contracts with mega legal services firms. Medium and large companies use portals to get the fastest direct access to case files, allowing them to more efficiently bill their clients for their time.
What to Look for in a Good Supplier Database
-Fast search results and current files that are easily updated-
Since you are paying a premium price, your search results must be provided quickly and the case information must be useful. If the data you receive is too often out of date or cannot be easily updated, find a better database.
-Excellent user interface-
One of the main reasons to use a provider database is to save time and avoid the aggravation of knowing the access requirements and idiosyncrasies of each court. The user interface of a commercial database should be clean, intuitive, and should speed up your research, not slow it down.
-Advanced search capabilities, case monitoring and other value-added services-
A good database will allow you to search your records using full text, or by any combination of fields such as plaintiff, defendant, judge, filing date, law firm, etc. Case monitoring should be flexible, reliable, and it should be clear what exactly has been updated in a file and when the update occurred. If a database is integrated with links to other related information, these links should be useful and functional. If investigator assistance is offered for document recovery, the price and quality should meet or exceed your expectations. Additionally, the ability to search multiple judicial jurisdictions simultaneously can be helpful.
Conclution
To locate complete dossiers online in all available jurisdictions, investigators must have convenient access to quality portals and databases to obtain the best results. Often, when used together, portals and databases complement each other and together provide the most comprehensive research results. The service that produces the best results for you generally depends on your specific needs and the tasks you need to perform. For example, to quickly and inexpensively locate basic information on recent cases, a portal is probably a better option than a database. But to perform full-text searches and other advanced metadata, the use of a more expensive commercial database is required. The key is knowing which database and record portals providers are best for your specific purposes, how to properly maintain your accounts and relationships with your providers, and how to make the most of their strengths and abilities.