Background Research

The background investigation is a crucial tool for attorneys in every area of the law. The background investigation gives you information to judge the opposition and assess their past. Putting the opposing party, or even your own client, in the context of their personal history helps people involved in legal matters make important decisions. (If you are looking for background checks in other areas, select Personal Background Checks, Insurance Criminal Background Check, or Business Background Checks Professional Results.)

Get started by choosing a type of service from the Background Investigation Options grid at the bottom of this page.

The legal background investigation starts with confirming information such as name, date of birth, Social Security number, drivers license number and last known addresse. From there it reveals whether the subject has aliases or false Social Security numbers. It identifies any criminal history, including prosecutions and convictions. The driving record is run to identify DUI convictions, moving violations and prior accidents.
One of the most important aspects of the legal background investigation is a thorough search for prior litigation. This includes cases where the subject is either a plaintiff or defendant. This may include searches in several jurisdictions in the event the subject has moved frequently. Also important is such information as whether the subject has bankruptcies, tax liens, judgments and notices of default in their records.

The more in-depth background investigation addresses the overall personality of the subject, personal habits, dating habits, family situation, divorces, substance abuse issues, standing in the community, civic affiliations and other such personal information.

The chart below describes the various services we offer for background investigation. For a free consultation or to get started right away on your process service project, call us for service throughout California and the US at (800) 487-0947, e-mail us or download our fax form.

Background Investigation Options

Search Level	Description	Cost
Level One Background (Available only in California)	Name and Social Security number verification Age and year of birth scan Local court search for misdemeanors Countywide search for felonies Countywide search for superior court civil cases Department of Motor Vehicles driving record Employment verification and education verification	Fixed Fee – $275*
Level Two Background	Includes fraud scan for aliases and false Social Security numbers Address history with dates of residence Also includes bankruptcies, judgments, foreclosures, evictions, tax liens and many other indicators such as civil cases, divorces Countywide court search for misdemeanors Statewide felony search in California Local search for municipal civil cases, statewide superior court civil cases in California	Fixed Fee – $485*
Level Three Background	Includes Level One and Level Two Background Investigations Education, business and professional history, military service Source of income, and business affiliations Includes confidential source information Family background and marital history Search for Federal criminal cases Nationwide bankruptcies and tax liens	Average Cost $3,000 and up
Background & Asset Combination
Background & Asset Combination	Combines Level Two Asset and Level Two Background Investigations A complete wide-ranging profile of your subject Asset portion gives a broad asset profile to gauge net worth; including real property, vehicles, business affiliations and ownership, liabilities, bankruptcies, etc Background portion gives personal profile, including criminal research, (felonies and misdemeanors), civil cases, divorces, driver record, age confirmation, aliases, relatives, address history and false Social Security numbers Often used for business due diligence, prenuptial, dating and executive pre-employment	Fixed Fee $950*

*Some persons with common names, evasive behavior or extremely active profiles may require an additional research fee of up to $125.