An estate with a possible business interest
Approved corporate and licensing indexes are searched, possible entities are documented, and the unresolved ownership question is routed to counsel.
Records and tax research
Investigative Research and Asset Tracing Virtual Assistants
Follow a defined public-record research plan for possible estate assets, document every source, and surface the gaps that still need professional attention.
Administrative document support only. Your licensed or responsible professional retains interpretation, judgment, and final approval.
Records and tax researchWho it is for
A defined role for a recurring document burden.
Probate attorneys, fiduciaries, family offices, and estate researchers working with incomplete asset information. It fits matters where records are spread across jurisdictions, old names, entities, or public indexes and the team needs a reproducible trail rather than informal searching.
Research becomes difficult to rely on when the trail is missing, the source is unrecorded, or a possible lead is presented as a conclusion.
- Asset information may be spread across property, corporate, court, licensing, and financial-record indexes.
- Old names, entities, and addresses produce matches that require careful verification.
- Different researchers use different sources and citation standards, making results hard to compare.
- A negative search is often left undocumented, so the team cannot tell what was actually checked.
Scope of work
What the assistant handles.
Work is performed against your written procedure. The assistant records what the source says, cites where it appears, and routes anything ambiguous to the agreed reviewer rather than resolving it independently.
- Translate the open questions into defined, approved research queries
- Search the approved public and subscription sources within the agreed jurisdiction and date limits
- Record each query, source, access date, result, and visible identifier
- Build a candidate asset list with the evidence and the unresolved question for each item
- Document negative findings and source limitations
- Prepare a research memo and follow-up queue for the responsible professional
Working sequence
How the work moves from intake to handoff.
Each step has a defined output. Nothing is marked complete without a source or an explicit note that the item remains open.
Frame
Turn the matter questions into a written research plan with approved sources, search terms, and stopping rules.
Search
Run the queries and capture the source, access date, and visible result for every search, including negative results.
Analyze administratively
Group findings by candidate asset, identify visible inconsistencies, and state what remains unverified. No ownership or legal conclusion is drawn.
Handoff
Deliver the source log, research memo, and follow-up queue. Professional verification and any further inquiry remain with the responsible team.
Review-ready handoff
What your reviewer receives.
A written research plan and source list
A query log with sources, dates, and results
A candidate asset register with verification status
A research memo and open-question queue
Deliverables are administrative work product. They support professional review and do not replace it.
Quality controls
How accuracy is checked.
- The research plan is approved before searching begins
- Every candidate entry traces to a source and access date
- Negative findings and source limits are documented
- A second pass checks citations, duplicates, and unverified assumptions
Where the role stops
Decisions that stay with you.
- No legal, tax, title, or fiduciary conclusion
- No surveillance, pretexting, unauthorized access, or contact with third parties
- No paid records request or subscription use outside the approved scope
- No claim that a possible asset is confirmed without professional verification
Common starting scenarios
What this looks like in practice.
Realistic examples of how teams begin, without implying a legal or tax conclusion.
A prior search with no source trail
The assistant rebuilds a reproducible log from the available material and marks what cannot be verified from the current file.
Assets that may sit in another state
Jurisdiction-specific sources are searched within the approved scope, and any access limits are recorded rather than worked around.
Questions
Before you delegate this work.
Is this a private investigation?
No. The role is administrative public-record research. It does not include surveillance, pretexting, or any activity that requires a license.
Can the assistant determine ownership?
No. It documents possible records and evidence. Ownership, title, and authority are determined by the responsible professional or a qualified provider.
What sources can be used?
Only those approved for the engagement. The source list, access method, and any subscription limits are confirmed in writing before research begins.
How do you handle a dead end?
The negative result and the source limits are recorded so the team can decide whether another approved source or a professional inquiry is warranted.
Bring one representative file.
We will walk through the document set, the fields you need recorded, the sources you approve, and the decisions that must stay with your team.
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