How to obtain official court records.

Official court records fall under the jurisdiction of the court where the trial took place. The Freedom of Information Act requires all US courts to make public information available to people. Anyone who is interested in viewing court public records or need them for another legal reason has the right to obtain access.

Things do not always look so easy in reality. Often a search for court records can be quite frustrating. The process of obtaining court records at the court clerk's office is usually difficult and takes a lot of time and money. To minimize the stress and obtain official court records you need to have as much preliminary information about those records in advance.

Why you may need official court records and how to get copies easily.

Official copies of court records may be needed for a variety of reasons. Usually people need official court records when they apply for a mortgage or for insurance purposes. Some employers would also request official court records prior to hiring.

As mentioned above, you need as much information as possible in order to simplify your search. A court search is much more complicated than an online one where you can just type in a name. Try to obtain the following prior going to the court:

• full legal name
• age and date of birth
• jurisdiction of the court case
• dates of the court proceedings