Some friends of mine are in the very long process of adopting a child and they’ve had this particular child living with them for about 9 months now. Parental claims were revoked (nullified, maybe?), but since then, the birth family is making claims that the child has Native American ancestry.
They want to do background and minor genealogy checks on a small group of people. So the question is, would it be better to hire a P.I. or a family lawyer to do this stuff? If a P.I. is a better answer, how would one go about finding a reputable investigator?
Lawyers can do their own investigation (even by hiring their own PI’s) and then, if they’re smart, communicate the findings to your friends in a way that maintains the attorney-client privilege. This means that if there is an eventual lawsuit, the records of the investigation may not be discoverable by the other side. There is no PI-client privilege.
Attorney-client priviledge aside, you’ll find private investigators cost less per hour than most attorneys. Do a Web search for a “forensic genealogist” or “forensic genealogy.”
Or they could do it themselves. It’s time-consuming, sure, but if they have the birth parent’s names and dates/places of birth (should be on the kid’s birth certificate), it is relatively simple. And free.
In general, I’d say a PI is better suited to that task. While lawyers can gather information through legal processes (depositions, subpoenas for documents), that’s usually done in connection with some pending proceeding, and it doesn’t sound like that what your friends are looking for right now. If you’re looking for someone who can knock on doors and ask the right questions, that’s usually a PI.
That said, I think your friends should consult a family lawyer as soon as possible anyway. While a PI may be better at gathering information, a lawyer can help you figure out what information you need, and/or what steps they need to be taking to protect their rights.
Obligatory disclaimer: This post is not legal advice, and I’m not your lawyer (or your friends’ lawyer).