Finding Court Records in the US

In the name of research, I often perform background checks on some of my clients' potential investors and though it is time-consuming and wrinkle-causing, it is an activity I love doing. The Philippines does not have an integrated online court records database, except for those cases already decided by the higher courts. Nevertheless, there are developments that mean our country's legal system is moving to this direction and this is good news for law students, lawyers, and private individuals.

In the United States, a lawyer can file his pleading online and a person can access court records in the same manner.  I found out a number of sites which are very helpful such as www.pacer.gov and www.dockets.justia.com. PACER stands for Public Access to Court Electronic Records and one of its services is to allow online access of US court records. Moreover PACER allows a lawyer to file pleadings to respective courts by doing this online. One may register easily but a credit card is required because a small fee is charged for the documents.  For those who opt not to pay, www.dockets.justia.com can be an option since there is no fee and registration required.

If you know someone who used to be in the United States you need to find out if he any pending cases or convictions there, these sites would be of great help in your research. The information is also relevant not just for private individuals but for employers, business entities and student researchers.

A good research on a person or entity can provide valuable information for personal or business partnerships and ventures. Court records will give you an idea if a person is a crook or not. More importantly, it would you on litigation costs and a broken heart (or bank account) later on. 

So if you want to do some serious court records research on people who have spent some time in the United States, give these sites a try. It will save your face a few wrinkles (which by the way is reversible by loading on more fruits, veges and water in your diet).