Douglas Baldwin & Associates, Inc. makes use of all the major commercial information databases, its large proprietary collection of documentary and microfiche research materials, the internet and the wealth of libraries and other research resources in Southern California, to pursue complex and eclectic research. Additionally, staff is hired based on the depth of both their computer-based and classic hard text research abilities.

DB&A was asked to prepare a comprehensive history of worker's compensation legislation and enforcement actions directed against abusive medical clinics which operated as claims mills. We interviewed district attorneys in many counties and reviewed criminal filings, legislation and news paper reports covering a key ten year period.

DB&A was team leader on perhaps the largest asset research in CA history, involving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of LA. We reviewed 2500 property records and helped design a database to automatically appraise their value based on various considerations at changing market conditions. We reviewed the history of Spanish land grants, oil well leases, famous estate bequests, and one hundred linear feet of archival materials. We personally inspected and appraised over 200 parcels.

In early 2008 we are asked to do all research possible on a prominent CA investment advisor, who is well known in social circles and apparently a major charitable donor, but limited to only what can be done with utter, perfect discretion.  Using a wide range of databases, we patiently document the life, career and activities of the subject and carefully work to verify all his charitable claims and alleged investment successes, many of which allegedly occurred in Europe.  A fascinating portrayal emerges of someone who knows how to leverage small fringe facts into larger central presumptions.  

Twice, both for Fortune Top Twenty corporations, DB&A assisted in an extensive effort to recreate knowledge about the operations, technology and sales of a manufacturing facility long abandoned and bulldozed to the ground, in order to better defend crucial products from those old facilities. Investigators assisted in the processing and organizing of thousands of documents and found and interviewed hundreds of witnesses and dozens of experts.

The fastest growing segment of DB&A research involves the world of e-commerce. The work of DB&A traces back to the very beginning, when DB&A participated in the extensive research behind the purchase of the domain name business.com, the most expensive domain name purchased in history. DB&A investigates potential cyber-squatters and purchases domain names for corporate clients, including those in foreign country registries, the firm purchases and tracks counterfeit goods over the internet and develops background on persons or entities involved in the operation of certain websites.  Among key clients assigning work have been Budweiser, Jack Daniels, Gallo Wines.

DB&A prepared a manual of all relevant institutions, databases and protocols for keeping track of high seas shipping on behalf of attorneys representing mainland China which was plagued with numerous missing freighters transporting scrap iron to their steel industry. DB&A then used that information, along with a study of scrap iron brokering, to prove the missing ships had not been pirated, but rather, in a fraud, had never existed and never been loaded with the commodities listed in the fake manifests.

A plaintiff claims that he was averaging $900 a week in tips in the Asian Games section of an LA area Casino, and this is part of the lost income he is claiming.  We are hired to document all that can be legally learned as court usable evidence about casino tips in the LA area.  Our research takes us to various agents of the IRS, gaming task forces, casino owners, pit bosses, ex-employees, etc.  We were ultimately able to document a number of law suits, rulings and casino rules, including buy in policies whereby employees “bought” their positions from pit bosses based on expected tips, all of which strongly commented on the plaintiff’s claim.

In trademark infringement matters, DB&A was asked to compile an absolutely comprehensive list of all business or commercial product name uses or book, movie or song title uses of the phrase "cheeseburgers in paradise." The wild Burning Man festival in Nevada was attended by a DB&A team assigned by a major retailer to explore possible corporate trademark infringements. All known commercial photo and image databases nationwide were researched to prove that a very particular trademark image of a giraffe under challenge was actually too common to protect.

After the FBI made the arrests and achieved early guilty pleas in a $6 million embezzlement from a nationwide high end restaurant corporation, DB&A took over the asset hunt from the FBI back burner and tracked assets that passed through dozens of shell companies and into such areas as movie productions and franchise purchases.

For a huge national banking client and for the largest Mexican grocery chain, both moving into the southwest market, DB&A researched all variations of the use of their chosen trade names in that market as part of a huge effort to free up the trademarks in that market. Owners of potentially conflicting names were identified and researched to prepare for negotiated settlements.