▶ Check out my gear on Kit: https://kit.co/TimSantoni Friending Litigants on Facebook is a Bad Idea - Tip of the Day - https://www.santoniservices.com/ On this episode of the Tip of the Day, Tim Santoni talks about why it is a bad idea on multiple levels to friend a litigant on Facebook or any other social media platform for that matter. Making contact with a litigated party is not a smart move and whether you are an attorney, paralegal or investigator working for an attorney in a litigated matter, you need to understand that the evidence obtained through unlawful means can be deemed inadmissible and get the parties involved in trouble (sanctions, penalties, fines, etc.). If you believe there is valuable evidence and information buried in the Facebook profile of a litigant there are open source investigation techniques (OSINT) that can often uncover this information without making a “friend” request. Before you engage an associate, paralegal or private investigator to conduct social media research make sure you understand their approach and know what you can be getting yourself into. Engage with a trusted private investigator who has experience in litigated matters and is licensed. BELOW IS A LINK TO THE ARTICLE REFERENCED IN THE VIDEO: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lawyers-accused-using-paralegal-friend-litigant-probe-johnson-ma/?fbclid=IwAR2nm9mzrH-jDziHKeqF4NNDTzqjB3iVeGy0oLLggs9z6RUm4Rw4b1sozwQ *************** Tim Santoni is passionate about Risk Mitigation. He enjoys educating business owners on what they can do to mitigate risk in their businesses and how to protect themselves from those in their inner circle. Tim will be providing some strategic advice on how to be prepared for, investigate and deal more effectively with litigation and workers comp claims if and when they arise. Background: Investigative consultant to businesses and legal counsel for over 17 years Licensed private investigator in the state of California and has testified as an expert in cases involving Workers' Compensation, Counterfeiting and a variety of other civil cases. Owns and operates his own Investigative Consulting business Enjoys speaking to businesses and law firms about current trends in litigation, technology and investigative strategy. Tim believes that businesses must implement certain strategies to mitigate exposure to Embezzlement, Fraud, Workers Compensation Claims, Trade Secrets, theft and many other employment related claims. In today’s litigious environment you cannot eliminate lawsuits, but you can implement practices to reduce overall exposure. Connect with Tim Santoni: Twitter: https://twitter.com/SantoniInv LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsantoni or https://www.linkedin.com/company/santoni-investigations/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/santoniinvestigations/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/timsantoni/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEXrVhdkkp6qteD_oOOL9sw Websites: https://www.santoniservices.com/ and http://www.TimSantoni.com/