A Site With Everything Legal

I recently came across the Public Legal site when I was doing some online legal research and thought I would share. It is a categorized index of more than 4000 select web sites in 238 nations, islands, and territories, as well as thousands of locally stored web pages, legal forms, and downloadable files. It was established in 1995 to serve as a comprehensive resource of the information available on the Internet concerning law and the legal profession, with an emphasis on the United States. Designed for everyone, lay persons and legal scholars alike, it is quality controlled to include only the most substantive legal resources online.



Melanie Stuckey
Paralegal to Jennifer L. Donaldson
www.donaldsonlaw.com - A Denver Personal Injury Attorney

Law Library Research Exchange

Looking for a great place to read articles related to law and technology?  The Law Library Research Exchange is a great resource.  You can subscribe to their newsletter to receive emails with the latest articles or to any of their feeds. The site also contains links to court rules, forms and dockets.


Melanie Stuckey
Paralegal to Jennifer L. Donaldson
www.donaldsonlaw.com - A Denver Personal Injury Attorney

Black Book Online

With links to hundreds of free public records searches, the Black Book Online is a great place to start any investigation. It also has tips and tricks and resources for investigators. It is such a comprehensive resource, everyone in the legal or investigative field should have it bookmarked.


Melanie Stuckey
Paralegal to Jennifer L. Donaldson
www.donaldsonlaw.com - A Denver Personal Injury Attorney

Social Networking Sites

One of the latest investigative techniques is using social networking sites such as Facebook and My Space to investigate claimants, witnesses and potential jurors. It can be an extremely valuable resource, no matter what area of law you practice. A recent news story illustrated this. It was reported that a woman's long-term disability benefits were terminated because of photos she posted of herself on a social networking site.  One site that lets you search multiple social networking sites at one time is Wink. The next time you're search is leading you in the direction of social networking sites, Wink is a great place to start.

Melanie Stuckey
Paralegal to Jennifer L. Donaldson
www.donaldsonlaw.com - A Denver Personal Injury Attorney

Colorado Auto Accident Reports

In most cases in Colorado, you will need to request an accident report in writing directly from the police agency that investigated the accident. You should check the department's web site or contact the records department before sending a request to find out what fees they charge for reports. Some departments will allow requests to be faxed which can expedite things. If you think there are witness statements or photographs  associated with your report, a phone call to the records department is the best way to find out how to obtain them.

Several Colorado police departments are now using online vendors to distribute accident reports. These vendors upload the reports and allow you to purchase them online and receive the report immediately. The fees are not much different than requesting the report from the police department directly. The two most common vendors at this time are TRACView and Report Beam. Go look at these sites to see which police agencies are using them.

Finally, if the report you need is at least eight weeks old or if the Colorado State Patrol investigated the accident, you can obtain a copy from the Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles. You can go to a DMV office to request the report or you can mail your request and a check for $2.20 to the DMV. For more information on obtaining records from the Colorado DMV, see this link.

Melanie Stuckey
Paralegal to Jennifer L. Donaldson
www.donaldsonlaw.com - A Denver Personal Injury Attorney

Performing Your Own Background and Asset Checks

Have you ever priced a background check or asset check with a private investigator? I have. In certain cases, it is worth it to hire an outside vendor to perform these tasks. But when you have a case where you are fairly certain there are no assets and the policy limits are minimal, is it worth it for your client to spend $500 to $1,500 just to find this out? We used to feel trapped in these situations. But last year we found Accurint and all of that changed.

Accurint searches public records and can run everything from simple address searches to comprehensive asset checks and all for extremely reasonable prices.  Our first experience using the service involved a wrongful death case where the heir was an infant. We were 90% certain that the defendant had no assets to supplement her minimal policy limits but because the client was so young, we wanted to be 100% certain before agreeing to settle the case.  I contacted numerous private investigators who quoted me minimum prices of $500 just to run a basic asset check. We felt that amount was too high given the situation. That's when I decided to try Accurint. We ran several reports on the defendant and, for less than $20.00, confirmed that she had no assets.

Since then, my primary use for Accurint has been skip traces. In most cases, I have been able to find the person I'm looking for in a few minutes and at a cost of less than $5.00.

If you want to start saving your clients hundreds of dollars, contact Accurint and sign your firm up for an account. You will discover, like I have, that it is one of the most valuable resources a law firm can have.


Melanie Stuckey
Paralegal to Jennifer L. Donaldson
www.donaldsonlaw.com - A Denver Personal Injury Attorney

Colorado Healthcare Transparency Act

Colorado recently enacted a Healthcare Transparency Act which requires all licensed Colorado Physicians to more thoroughly register with the State. Under the law, they have to disclose:

• Any in-state of out-of-state licenses
• All board certifications, specialties, affiliations with hospitals and health-care facilities
• Any final disciplinary actions voluntary or otherwise taken by a licensing agency in any state, or hospital
• Any agreements or stipulations entered into regarding a doctor’s medical license
• Involuntary surrender of US DEA registration
• Criminal Convictions of felonies or crimes of moral turpitude
• Refusal of an insurance company to issue malpractice insurance
• Final judgments or settlements of malpractice or negligence

This information is very important in litigation as you do not want to be surprised in the middle of a deposition or trial by the unknown past actions of one of your experts.  If you want to do research on a physician who is treating your client and may testify in your case, go to the Colorado Division of Registrations Physician Profile Search page. 

Melanie Stuckey
Paralegal to Jennifer L. Donaldson
www.donaldsonlaw.com - A Denver Personal Injury Attorney