Search Services

IGS searches for specific individuals or “classes” of individuals, or groups of people (related or unrelated) and provides any required legal documentation and supplementary information to prove and establish the identities of these individuals or related family members, alive or deceased.

These searches are usually legally required by Trust and Estate Officers at Financial Institutions or by Attorneys specializing in Estate and Probate, Real Estate, Litigation including Class Action, Mass Tort, and wrongful death, and Intellectual Property.

We also conduct searches for Guardians, Public Administrators, executors and administrators of estates, private fiduciaries, conservators, and trustees.

Search Types

Direct Search: Search for one specific named person.  The search can be expanded to locate the person’s issue (children) or the executor of the estate if the person in question is located deceased.

Multiple Search: Search for multiple related people.  The search can be expanded to locate a person’s issue (children) or the executor of the estate if any/all of the search subjects in question are located deceased.

Heirs at Law: When identifying heirs for an estate or trust, the laws require that the heirs are located in order of consanguinity.  This is especially pertinent for situations of Intestacy, For Notice, or Trust Under Will.  Determination of Heirs are located in the following order:

Lineal Search: Does the decedent have living issue (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc)?  If so, these heirs inherit before other family members that are not as closely related.  If no living lineal descendants can be established, the search is expanded to relatives one generation back – Level I Heirs.

• Level I Heirs:  This search includes the decedent’s parents and siblings and their descendants (nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, etc).  For example, an only child would have no Level I heirs.  If no living Level I descendants can be established, the search is expanded to relatives one generation back – Level II Heirs.

• Level II Heirs: This search includes the decedent’s grandparents and their descendants (the decedent’s aunts and uncles, first cousins, etc).  Because each person has two sets of grandparents, this search usually involves two (2) concurrent searches - for the Maternal and Paternal grandparents of the decedent.  If research is previously completed on one side of the family, IGS can narrow the scope of the search to just the Maternal or Paternal heirs.

• Level III Heirs: Great-Grandparents and their descendants.  Expanding a search to this level is not common.  The majority of research is complete at the Level II heirs.  However, IGS has the expertise to make a determination of heirs, no matter how far back it is necessary to research.

Real Estate Searches: IGS locates property owners or people on property title for Clear Title and Quiet Title Action.

Class Action & Mass Tort: IGS can locate missing participants or their heirs.
Wrongful Death: IGS can locate the family members or rightful heirs of a decedent in a wrongful death suit.

Intellectual Property Searches: IGS can perform and document diligent searches for cases involving Orphan works in which the copy right owner cannot be located.

• As per the “Orphan Works Act of 2006”, Sec. 514(a)(1)(A): before the infringing use of the work began, the infringer…(i) performed and documented a reasonably diligent search in good faith to locate the owner of the infringed copyright.
• “Orphan Works Act of 2006”, Sec. 514(a)(2)(B)(iii): A reasonably diligent search includes the use of reasonably available expert assistance and reasonably available technology, which may include, if reasonable under the circumstances, resources for which a charge of subscription fee is imposed.

Due Diligence Searches: IGS performs and documents searches that meet the requirement of due diligence searching & an exhaustive and diligent search.  This can be presented in affidavit format, ready for court presentation.

Database Searches: IGS performs many database searches for single files or on a volume basis.  However, IGS does not simply rely on information located in proprietary and in-house databases.  Information from these sources is often inaccurate, incomplete, and should not solely be relied upon.  Rather, we use trained and qualified researchers to verify all information provided to you through other independent sources.

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