News Items
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Dear U.S. Supreme Court Web Site: Where are Your Briefs?
01/06/2016 - 15:41NOTE: This post has been updated by a newer post - "Update to 'Dear U.S. Supreme Court Web Site: Where Are Your Briefs'." It never ceases to amaze me that our own U.S. Supreme Court does not post its briefs at their site, AND also fails to provide information on where to find Supreme Court briefs for free. Instead, the Court’s site tells you to obtain briefs from pay...
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Does Passing the Newly Required TLOxp.com Site Visit Automatically Entitle Users to Full Social Security Numbers and Dates of Birth?
01/06/2016 - 01:01We recently wrote about changes to the access and pricing structure for the pay investigative research database TLOxp, in the post “TLOxp Raises Prices, Requires Site Visit for All Subscribers.” At that time we wondered if the newly required site visit that we were about to undergo would entitle us to access full Social Security Numbers and Dates of Birth. We have subsequently...
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Are You Searching the Internet as Effectively as You Think You Are?
12/28/2015 - 15:22In a December 25, "Dealbook" article, the New York Times details how IRS agent Gary L. Alford used his online searching skills to correctly identify the previously-anonymous, "nearly-mythical leader" of the illicit online marketplace Silk Road. Known for years to authorities only by his online alias "Dread Pirate Roberts," Alford positively uncovered the criminal...
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Summary of the Colorado Bar Association Ethics Committee Formal Opinion 127: “Use of Social Media for Investigative Purposes”
12/22/2015 - 16:51In September 2015, the Colorado Bar Association Ethics Committee (Committee) issued Formal Opinion 127—“Use of Social Media for Investigative Purposes” to address the conflicting ethical opinions from various jurisdictions about how to apply the established ethical principles to the use of social media and social networks as investigative tools. The Committee stated, “In...
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Google Cripples Another Feature - Location
12/20/2015 - 15:15Google has crippled yet another of it's search filters/features. This time it's the location feature. Changes to the search results interface now limit a searcher's option when customizing their location. It's fairly well known that Google customizes search results based on the detected location of your device (among numerous other criteria). For a number of years, Google has...
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TLOxp Raises Prices, Requires Site Visit for All Subscribers
11/18/2015 - 14:01November 8, 2015 by Carole Levitt JD MLS & Mark Rosch For investigative research database searching, we have been recommending TLOxp to lawyers for many years because it was inexpensive and did not require a monthly or annual subscriber fee. While the search began at 0.25 and quickly went up to $1.00 and then $2.00, and the comprehensive report went from $5.00 to $10.00, a...
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Yahoo's About to Look Even More Like Google
11/16/2015 - 18:10By virtue of a new agreement between Yahoo and Google, search results from the two rivals may start looking even more alike. Yahoo has signed an agreement with Google under which, "Google will provide Yahoo with search advertisements ..., web algorithmic search services..., and image search services." So now, Yahoo will draw some if its web search results, image results, and...
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Harvard Law School Teams with Ravel Law To Digitize Case Law | Make It Available For Free
10/29/2015 - 10:42In an e-mail to their marketing list, Ravel Law, the San Franciso-based "legal search, analytics, and visualization platform" announced that the company has "teamed up with Harvard Law School to make American case law free and open for the first time ever." The announcement was delivered by Ravel Law CEO Daniel Lewis. The email further explained: Working with the Harvard...
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Internet Ninja Research Tricks | Lawyerist Podcast Interview With Carole Levitt & Mark Rosch
10/11/2015 - 20:30blockquote { display: block; margin-top: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 40px; margin-right: 40px; } Recently, Internet For Lawyers principals Carole Levitt and Mark Rosch shared some of their favorite secret Google search tips and ways to access expensive research databases for free with Sam Glover over at the Lawyerist Podcast. In his introduction to the interview,...
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Every Lawyer’s Investigative Research Database - TLOxp
10/01/2015 - 11:56Not everything is available for free on the Internet - and sometimes even when it is, that information might be difficult to find or spread over multiple sources. With their access to public records, publicly available information, and proprietary information not available elsewhere, pay investigative research databases are important tools lawyers can use to uncover background information about...