How Online Research Transforms Legal Due Diligence

In the world of litigation, every piece of information can influence the direction of a case. Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) equips legal professionals with the tools to gather relevant information across the internet, streamline research requests, and achieve exceptional victories. 

By embracing OSINT, practitioners in the legal field gain a unique edge, enhancing due diligence processes and advancing their firm's grasp on relevant case information. In this blog, we share practical use cases and OSINT methods for legal research teams, empowering them to unlock the full power of open-source intelligence in an effort to better leverage valuable online content.

Unlocking the Power of OSINT in a Research Request

Incorporating OSINT into a research process allows law firms to tap into a reservoir of publicly available information. Here are a few ways OSINT can revolutionize your firm and arm attorneys for success:

• Leveraging Social Media: Social media platforms are filled with voluntarily shared personal data, which can assist in providing the firm with information that might not be found on a conventional public records search. Utilizing OSINT to gain these insights equips research professionals with a digital public record for individuals and businesses that are of interest to the attorneys.
  
  
• Comprehensive Intelligence Gathering: The scope of OSINT extends beyond social media, encompassing a wide range of sources offering a pool of data waiting to be leveraged. Capturing consumer records, breach data, vehicle records, and news articles ensures a well-rounded understanding of your subject of interest. Synthesizing such information allows firms to better understand people and businesses of interest.
  
  
• Informed Decision-Making: OSINT provides access to internet-based data, which can significantly guide decision-making. Firms can leverage this intelligence for informed client onboarding and enhanced due diligence on witnesses, claimants, and jurors.

Integrating OSINT into case workflows allows law firms to harness publicly available information, gather insights from social media, and assemble a comprehensive spectrum of intelligence for their cases. Such strategic employment of OSINT places research professionals at the forefront of their field, facilitating remarkable results for their firm and their clients.

Practical Uses of OSINT in Law

OSINT doesn't just contribute to the vast ocean of information—it helps legal professionals navigate through it. Its capability to generate invaluable insights significantly enriches research requests across a broad spectrum of legal scenarios, augmenting the traditional methods below with a powerful, data-driven approach:

Due Diligence

OSINT is an essential component of conducting thorough due diligence. Gaining insight into clients, potential expert witnesses or business partners, and other parties involved in a case becomes more efficient with OSINT, providing access to a wealth of public information. Firms can obtain reputation insights, and other relevant data to make enlightened decisions and mitigate risks. Comprehensive due diligence, informed by OSINT, ensures a complete understanding of the involved parties, leaving law firms fully prepared.

Jury Selection

OSINT refines the time-sensitive and costly process of jury selection. Using public data, teams can detect biases or undisclosed affiliations that could influence the trial which may be missed otherwise. Assessing keywords and affiliations empowers attorneys to make data-driven decisions during jury selection.

Locating Individuals

OSINT truly excels in cases of deliberate evasion. Law firms can find elusive individuals by leveraging real-time data sources like social media posts, consumer records, and publicly accessible information. Leveraging this data can be especially beneficial in locating witnesses, serving legal documents to hard-to-find individuals, and debt collection.

In Summary

OSINT equips law firms and legal teams with the means to enhance their research process. Law firms can evaluate witnesses, conduct due diligence, and streamline their processes by leveraging publicly available online information. With abundant public information online, OSINT is a formidable asset for any practice. Legal professionals can maximize the potential of OSINT in their requests, boosting their capability to uphold justice effectively by adhering to legal and ethical considerations and employing practical tools and strategies.

Searching for ways to expedite your legal processes and boost case outcomes? Click here to watch our on-demand webinar, "OSINT Tips & Techniques for Legal Investigations," to gain invaluable insights into leveraging publicly available information for enhanced due diligence.

At Skopenow, we understand the importance of staying up-to-date on the latest developments, trends, and techniques in OSINT. Our solutions empower research teams to gather and analyze open-source information more effectively and efficiently. Skopenow's automated platform also acts as a catalyst for smaller teams, enhancing their capacity to match the output of larger teams. It also becomes a crucial instrument for large firms, facilitating optimal billable hours. Start unlocking the power of open-source intelligence with a free trial today: www.skopenow.com/try.