What Can Law Firms Do to Attract and Retain More Clients?

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What Can Law Firms Do to Attract and Retain More Clients

The legal landscape is changing.  Attorneys and law firms will have to change their way of thinking to attract and retain clients as online services such as LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer, Trademarkia and other legal services companies are actively marketing to and competing with traditional law firms.  Additionally, corporations are closely monitoring their legal spend by using sophisticated software and tools to keep a watchful eye on billing and results.

In the past, law firms have been opposed to looking at creative ways to bring on new clients in fear of ethical violations and other concerns.  The unneeded liability and risk that is associated with creating partnerships with other service providers or setting up tools to help clients track and monitor their brands and other risks, was not something that law firms wanted to take on.

If law firms want to compete and retain business, they need to change their mindset and diversify their offerings.  This means they must come up with new and creative ways to show their clients that they are looking out for them proactively and going the extra mile when it comes to counseling and litigation.

Here are some examples that we have seen work well for some of our clients:

IP & Brand Protection Attorneys

As an example, Intellectual Property (IP) attorneys handling trademark registrations/prosecutions should offer monitoring of their clients’ IP portfolios as an added benefit for working with their firm. There are numerous software offerings that law firms can utilize to handle this service in an automated and economical fashion. This type of service gives the client a sense of safety and it can lead to the need for more legal work that arises from the monitoring.  As an example, if you detect a possible infringement of a trademark you might need to research the infringement and draft a cease and desist notice.  If not resolved these matters can end up in litigation as well.

Management of Intellectual Property would include, but is not limited to the following:

  • Copyrights
  • Trademarks
  • Patents
  • Domain Name (Registrar Lock and Automatic Renewal)

Insurance Defense Firms:

Insurance companies are always looking for ways to minimize costs, especially when it comes to litigated claims in the Workers’ Comp and Premises Liability areas.  Law firms could use an investigator or paralegal to offer complimentary background profiles on all new litigated claims in an effort to look at the following;

  • Driving Record (Non-industrial accidents that occurred before the date of injury/date of loss)
  • Workers’ Comp Claims Search
  • Civil & Criminal Background Check
  • Social Media Profile & Preservation

Plaintiff / Personal Injury Attorneys:

People that have been injured as a result of an accident caused by a third party are looking to be made whole.  They can have staggering medical bills; loss of income and their families can be severely impacted.  Offering a complimentary asset search performed by a paralegal or private investigator on the negligent third parties in the accident can be an added benefit and become the deciding factor in selecting one firm over another.  The injured party should understand if the person or company that harmed them has the ability to pay should a settlement be agreed upon.

Business Litigation Attorneys:

In heated business disputes emotions often run high and if you can give your clients some “dirt” or expose “skeletons in the closet” about the adverse parties, you can really get your client to understand that you are on their side and are in the trenches with them.

The law firm could utilize a research paralegal or private investigator to conduct an asset and liability investigation on the parties involved at the time of filing and/or prior to depositions.  This type of research will often give the client a lay of the land in terms of any tangible real estate/property owned by the defendant.  This is important because it can tell you if there is equity in any real estate owned to satisfy a judgment.  It also allows you to file fraudulent conveyance claims in the event that the real estate is deeded or transferred to “family” members as the litigation heats up or after a judgment is awarded.

These are just a few examples of how lawyers can look to create better relationships and drive better results with their clients.  After all, many of the services we have referenced are available to your clients, so even if they decline the additional services they should be made aware of them because it elevates you from the competition and shows clients that you understand their business and potential risk exposures.

 

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Insurance Claims Investigations: Don’t Pay Out If You Don’t Have To

Insurance Claims Investigations: Don’t Pay Out If You Don’t Have ToInsurance Claims Investigations: Don't Pay Out If You Don't Have To

Insurance is nothing more than betting against your own bad luck. Because you know you’ll get sick eventually, you get health insurance. If you drive all the time, sooner or later someone will hit you, so you get car insurance. Insurance companies are more like the casino taking people’s bets, because they know that even if they have to pay out sometimes, the sheer number of bets they’re going to win on means they still turn a profit.

And just like with gambling, insurance companies need to make sure they only pay when someone has a legitimate claim.

Insurance Claims Investigations

When an insurance company receives a claim it is that company’s responsibility to verify that the events happened how the client says they happened. For example, if someone claims that he injured his shoulder in a car accident then it would fall to an auto insurance company to help cover those hospital bills. If it turns out that the driver injured his shoulder at work or at home, and then got into a minor fender-bender that could not have caused or worsened the injury, though, then the insurance company will be paying a big bill that it isn’t technically responsible for.

That’s where a trained and experienced investigation firm should be engaged. A firm experienced in investigating insurance claims can make sure that when an insurance company writes a check that it’s for a legitimate “winning” on the part of a client. A professional investigation firm gathers all of the facts in a case before the bills come due. While there will be legitimate claims, it’s important to make sure you have someone keeping an eye on the floor so the cheaters don’t walk out with winnings they shouldn’t have.

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Times When You Will Benefit From an Asset Search

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Let’s face it. There are times when people can be secretive and decide to hide some of their financial assets. It might be they are trying to keep someone from accessing the funds or trying to make it seem like they have never existed. Finding hidden assets is challenging, depending on the person’s skill level. When you suspect someone might have hidden assets, you need a professional to locate them and determine the value. Here are some times when you need a professional assets search.

Divorce Proceedings

If your spouse always kept financial control of the household or has started claiming a lack of assets now that you have filed for divorce, it is time to let a professional look for any hidden money reserves or real assets like investment properties. If your spouse contemplated divorce for months or even years before leaving, they might have spent a long time hiding money you are entitled to in a settlement.

Lawsuit

If you have been injured in an accident and plan to sue the other party, you need to know if they have any assets that make it worth your time to sue. When the insurance companies have paid the maximum benefits, you need to decide if the other person has the funds to pay a settlement. In cases like this, the liable party will want to appear as poor as possible to negotiate a smaller settlement.

Potential Investments

If you are considering making an investment in a company or going into business with another person, you need to have a complete picture of their finances and assets. In many instances, the company or person might try to make it seem like they have a lot more than they actually do.

When the time comes to have an asset search done, Santoni Investigations & Backgrounds has all the skills needed to provide you with a detailed picture of anyone’s financial health. Contact us today to schedule an appointment.

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Workers’ Comp Surveillance is Necessary Today

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Workers Comp Surveillance

It would be great if you could trust people more fully, but the fact of the matter is you cannot, especially if they are filing for workers’ compensation. You would be surprised what good workers’ comp surveillance can turn up. Don’t get swindled; get an investigator to make sure that the injuries are legitimate and not a fabrication.

Who Hires Workers’ Comp Investigators?

Most of the time it is the insurance companies themselves that will hire investigators. Since they are the ones who will have to pay the claim, insurance companies are very keen on avoiding being defrauded. They cannot afford to pay claims that are not real and stay in business for long.

Corporate enterprises also hire investigators to look into workers’ comp claims too. Injuries on the job leave the employer liable in certain cases, and the last thing they want to do is pay for an injury that is not real. It is also good for a company to know if an employee is that devious as to lie about an injury to attempt to defraud them.

Finally, defense attorneys also commonly hire investigators to dig into injury claims. The goal is to limit their own liability and expose fraud.

The Investigators

Not all evidence is admissible, so it is important to make sure that you are hiring investigators that have experience and know how to gather solid, admissible information and evidence. The worst thing that could happen is that you find out that a workers’ comp claim is fraudulent, but cannot rectify the situation because the evidence gathered was not admissible.

Contact us to learn more about this service offering and the other services we provide.

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Insurance Claims Investigations are No Laughing Matter

Insurance Claims Investigations are No Laughing Matter

Last July, a Pasadena police officer as good as gave herself up for guilty when she poured a bucket of water over a fellow officer in an ALS Ice Bucket Challenge video. No, dousing a police officer is not a crime, but deftly hoisting a 5-gallon bucket of ice water weighing about 42 lbs., then effortlessly tossing it from shoulder height, does look dangerously like insurance fraud if you happen to be receiving disability payments, claiming a  lower back injury.

Unfortunately for insurance companies, not all cases of insurance fraud are so easy to pinpoint. In most cases insurance claims investigations are necessary to uncover cases that can be dug nefariously deep. And while it may be tempting to smile at this officer losing track of her “injury” no one should be laughing about insurance fraud. It’s all around us and it is doing collateral damage to  each and everyone.

Premium Damage

There’s the open evidence of higher household and auto insurance premiums because insurance companies have no choice but to pass the cost of their fraud losses on to policy holders. The FBI estimates that insurance fraud costs the average family between $400 – $700 a year in increased premiums.

That’s money flowing out of policy holders’ bank accounts, but perhaps more would be flowing in if their employers were not spending millions of dollars annually due to insurance fraud’s cascading effect on the cost of providing employee health benefits and insuring the business.

Cost of Living Damage

Prices of consumer goods continue to rise since each manufacturer, food producer, distributor and store finds his healthcare and commercial premiums increasing and finds it necessary to build the cost into his prices. Add them together and the result is sticker shock for all at the checkout counter!

The Most Tragic Damage of All

Thankfully, it doesn’t happen every day, but innocent people have died, tragic victims of arson and staged automobile accidents;crimes perpetrated to fraudulently collect insurance payments.

The Other Side of the Picture

Meanwhile fraudulent insurance claims are costing insurance companies billions of dollars a year. In an effort to stem the loss, may insurance companies have turned to Santoni Investigations and Backgrounds for insurance claims investigations.

Once on the scene, our experienced investigator work with claims adjusters and examiners, special investigations units, and defense counsel to formulate the most cost-effective strategies and solutions needed to negotiate and settle claims. Or should the case warrant it, do battle against insurance fraud.

Contact us to discover how our services such as surveillance coverage, insurance claims reports, background checks, and skip/trace investigations can benefit your company, as  they have so many others in the insurance industry

 

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Fighting insurance fraud with private investigation

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Fighting insurance fraud with private investigation

Insurance FraudFighting insurance fraud with private investigation

There are many domains of application for private investigation. In each one of them, private investigators are hired to shed light on matters arousing suspicions from at least one party. This article is written from the perspective of insurance companies and explains how private investigation can be used to fight insurance fraud.

How Fraud Occurs

Because fraud is a rampant problem in our society, insurance firms need to protect themselves against policyholders who are always trying to gain access to the benefits to which they aren’t normally entitled. For instance, if a policyholder is covered for a list of accidents related to work but contracts an injury while at home, then they may try to file a fraudulent claim to avoid spending their own money. Another example is when an insured person exaggerates on an injury report to maximize their insurance benefits.

Deterring fraud

As you might know, insurance claims must be submitted along with several documents substantiating the financial request of the policyholder. For example, after a work-related injury the employee will undergo medical examinations and use the reports generated to submit a claim to their insurer. Once the claim has been submitted, the insurer will review it and assess its legitimacy. What may raise suspicions on the claim is the amount requested, especially if it seems to be disproportionate compared to the injury itself. This is usually going to trigger a private investigation, and ultimately the filing of a lawsuit by the insurer’s attorney.

Investigating the claim

The goal of the private investigation will be to gather evidence strengthening the suspicion that the claim is fraudulent. The private investigator will have at their disposal a number of tools to complete their mission such as placing the claimant under surveillance. For example, if the policyholder claimed that their injury prevents them from performing any kind of physical activity but is spotted lifting objects in their backyard, the investigator will know that the claim is a scheme.

Get legal assistance

Fraudulent claims are considered crimes nationwide. This means that there are specific legal sanctions for those who are found guilty of such schemes. Every time that a fraudulent claim is uncovered, the insurer needs to contact a lawyer who will make sure that the fraudster gets punished to the fullest extent of the law.

If you’re an insurer and believe that you’re being victim of fraud, please contact us today and we’ll help you prepare a solid fraud investigation case.

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ISO Searches, the First Step in Assessing a Claim

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Before you can assess the validity of a claim and determine if there are any red flags it is important to have a profile on your claimant or subject.  The first thing to search would be ISO for any and all claims, litigated or otherwise.  The EDEX search would show you litigated claims, but you could be missing the big picture if you don’t search the ISO database.

We can help you search for ISO to locate prior claims.

  • Auto accidents claims can be searched by name, plate or VIN.
  • Property Claims can by search by name or address.
  • Workers’ Compensation Claims, can be search by name or by business.

Additional Reading:

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Social Media Backgrounds- Who Cares?

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According to an article by Buffer, social media is changing and growing every second.  “Every second 2 new members join LinkedIn…Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the web.”  The fact of the matter is that social media sites can be a treasure chest of useful information.

A savvy social media investigator can use a variety of tools to find out everything from where people work, to who their friends are, and what they do in their spare time.  The digital footprint left by people on social media can also be useful in tracking their whereabouts, which is extremely useful for investigators that conduct surveillance, asset research and serve legal documents.

Not only is it important to know how to locate information on the web and social media sites, it is necessary that an investigator knows how to obtain all information contained in a profile and be able to preserve it.

Top Uses of Social Media:

Family Law- Preserving and documenting activities of a soon to be ex-spouse

Insurance Claims- Post accident/claim, pre-litigation, prior to surveillance (photographs & activities), & prior to settlement

Non-Profit Organization- Screening board members, donors, & volunteers

Asset Management Protection- Prior to investing in alternative finance offerings (hedge funds, angel investors, etc.)

Threat Assessment Teams- Threat response evaluation, threats to executives, prior to board meetings, prior to meeting with prospective partners (distributors, rep, supplier)

Brand Tarnishment & Threats- respond to and address concerns regarding problems with products including (defects, customer service, counterfeits)

Service of Legal Documents (Service of Process)– develop profile and photos to determine best method and time for service

University & School Threat Assessment Teams- students, faculty & visitors that could pose threats or harm reputation

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Claimant Background Profiles (10-Point Investigation Plan)

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It is often times difficult to accurately assess whether that candidate or claimant is being truthful with their employment background or insurance claim.  When facts are needed to support hiring, or lack of hiring decision as well as prove or disprove whether a claimant is truthfully disclosing their accident or alleged injury.

Either way, an error in judgment and a bad decision based on incomplete information can cost you and your company. (lost revenue, lawsuits and fines)

We dig into the information so you don’t have to and you can feel secure with making a better, informed decision. Here’s what is included in our 10-Point Investigation Plan

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  1. Prior Claims
  2. Driving Record
  3. Professional Networking Sites (LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, Plaxo, Craigslist)
  4. Social Networking Sites (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, MySpace, Pinterest)
  5. Business Filings (Corporations / Fictitious Business Names / DBAs)
  6. Business Phone Listings
  7. Website Ownership
  8. Professional Licenses
  9. Civil and Criminal Case Search
  10. Bankruptcy & Judgments

We can help you locate, verify and preserve information that can be altered or destroyed by an employee or claimant.  Often times we are asked to preserve social media profiles before claimants delete them after they meet with their attorney or have their deposition taken.

This product is offered on a national basis and is a great snapshot at the onset of litigation, when suspicions of fraudulent claims arise and prior to surveillance / subrosa investigations.

Get the Whole Picture of Every Claimant with Background Profiles–Exclusively from Santoni Investigations.

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6 Red Flags – Workers’ Comp Fraud

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6redflags of workers comp

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