PBI: Internet Intelligence

Internet Intelligence (Sleuthing on the Net):
Finding Information About People, Businesses, and Government Officials

Business

For help with the business of running a law office, see Office and Practice Management
Links to Business and Financial Resources, from The Practicing Attorney's Home Page
EDGAR -- The SEC's electronic filing service can serve as a source of sample corporate forms, as well as a source of information about specific companies.
Company Info -- Genie Tyburski's guide to sites that provide access to info from public company filings with the SEC (on The Virtual Chase web site)

Finding People and Businesses

Searching for a missing heir? A deadbeat debtor? A long-lost friend? Test these sites by typing in your own name. (Do you find this a little scary?)

Ancestry Search publishes the Social Security Death Index
Anywho provides the ability to search for people, as well as to do reverse searches, such as searching for the owner of a phone number.
Yahoo! People Search -- PC Magazine called this "the most comprehensive and impressive people finder on the Net"
InfoSpace -- calls itself "The Ultimate Directory" and claims to offer "the fastest, most comprehensive, dynamic directory listing service on the web.... the first to enable users to easily and instantly locate listings of people, businesses, government offices, toll-free numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, maps and URLs [web addresses]."
Lookup USA -- offers a map in addition to a street address
People Finder Guide -- Genie Tyburski's links (on The Virtual Chase web site)
Skiptracing Toolbox -- the home page of the American Recovery Association (repossession specialists) has links to some of the sites we list here, and a few others. They promise more to come.
WhoWhere -- specializing in e-mail addresses
Maps and Driving Directions: Some of the above sites offer maps and driving directions, and here are some specifically designed to do so (a word of warning -- sometimes these sites give rather convoluted, "scenic route" directions)
- MapQuest!- from GeoSystem Global Corporation --Driving directions, personalized maps, and an interactive atlas.

Corporate Intelligence

There is a wealth of information about businesses available on the Internet, if you know where to find it. The research librarian at a Philadelphia firm has written an article outlining strategies for unearthing this information, with links to the best resources, and a sample research session.
Unique Resources Useful to Lawyers -- Genie Tyburski, research librarian at Philadelphia-based Ballard Spahr Andrews and Ingersoll has compiled a page of links for locating information about companies and people, as well as news sources and miscellaneous research aids.

Finding Government Officials

Many of our links pages link to specific government sites, or general directories of government sites. This is more of a "people finder" section.

411 for Government -- Carroll Publishing Company, publisher of several government directories, offers this database of federal, state, county, and municipal telephone numbers for free. Thanks to Genie Tyburski of The Virtual Chase.)

Finding Internet Domain Owners

Better WHOIS.com -- Type in an Internet web address, and find out the registered owner, etc.