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Home-based court researcher jobs are not something I hear about as much as I did back when I started working at home in 2007. It’s still around, however. When someone on my Facebook Page asked for more information on the possibility, I decided it was time to brush up on what was out there.
What Is a Court Researcher?
A court researcher is usually an independent contractor hired to pull requested legal documents in their local area. Many researchers are assigned two or three counties depending on size and workload. While many work from home jobs offer more actual time at home, this type of job does require you to leave your house. However, there is considerable flexibility in this type of work.
Many companies can benefit from hiring a court researcher. Marketing firms, mortgage companies, law offices, CPAs, and title companies are just a few examples of companies in need of courthouse research.
The companies that specialize in courthouse research will hire independent contractors to go to their local courthouse to research and gather the needed information. The information collected can include various things such as deeds, mortgage records, lawsuits, civil records, foreclosures, evictions, criminal records, etc.
Courthouse researchers not only go to their local courthouse but sometimes they also may need to go to surrounding courthouses. Depending on the courthouse, research can be done either through a computer or books.
While some U.S. counties offer documents online, most researchers need to visit their local courthouse – at least occasionally – to get the requested public record. This is one of those jobs where you might be working from home, but you are not always working at home.
The things you might research may be a land deed, marriage license, judgment, or foreclosure documents to collect names, addresses, last known employers, and case numbers. The information is then entered into a spreadsheet, usually on your laptop while still at the courthouse, and emailed to the contracting company.
No experience is usually necessary other than a high school diploma or the equivalent. However, some of the skills needed for this type of work include detail-oriented research, excellent writing, and fast typing skills. You also need to be proficient in using spreadsheets. Pay is typically per document collected and the workload can vary substantially depending on county size. Most companies state small counties may only have one hour per month available while a large county may be able to keep someone busy full-time. As can be expected, you need to have reliable transportation, business hour availability, a laptop, and child care if you have young children. You often are working on a deadline, so you may have the ability to make your own schedule.
More at-home research jobs: 11 Awesome Online Research Jobs: Get Paid for Being a Know-It-All
Who Hires Court Researchers?
- Jellybean Services is one of the most well-known and respected in this industry. They pay once per month.
- Accurate Background Check
- Background Profiles – Not currently hiring, but check back often
- Deed Collector – Currently hiring in CT, IN, KY, MI, OH, SC, VA.
- Information Technologies is seeking data collectors nationwide.
- Sunlark Research
- CastleBranch
- IT-BOSS
- First National Acceptance Company is a division of First National Bank of America. They prefer those with previous courthouse or courthouse research experience.
- Omni Data Retrieval is a nationwide network of researchers.
- Sentinel Data Retrieval is looking for background researchers.
- Wolfgang Research collects document information to be sold as leads to companies in the insurance, debt consolidation, tax relief industries, etc.
You may also be able to find more court researcher jobs on FlexJobs, the #1 source for researched, legit remote gigs.
Other At-Home Legal Jobs
If you don’t want to leave your home to go to a courthouse, you can still get your at-home legal fix by being a court transcript proofreader from home. Or consider becoming an at-home paralegal, another research-heavy job that might be right up your alley.
