What we do

Investigations

Nejla Lane holds an Illinois private detective license as well as a law license, so this office can serve court papers, research public records and take witness statements. This is investigative work and not legal advice, and the difference matters.

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An open notebook, a magnifying glass and a street map on a desk under lamplight

Most law offices hire an investigator when a case needs one. Here the same person holds both licenses: Nejla Lane is admitted to practice law and is also licensed in Illinois as a private detective. Some of the groundwork a case needs can therefore be done in this office, on the same timetable as the legal work.

This is not legal work, and we say so plainly

Investigative services are law-related services. They are not the practice of law. When you engage this office to serve papers, research a background or interview a witness, you are not receiving legal advice, and the protections that come with an attorney-client relationship do not automatically attach to that work. If you also want legal advice, that is a separate engagement and we will put it in writing before anything begins. Keeping the line visible protects you, not us.

What this office does

Serving court papers. Summonses, subpoenas, orders of protection and other documents that a court requires to be delivered in a particular way, with a sworn return showing that it was done.
Background research. Public record research on a person or a company, within the limits the law places on how such reports may be gathered and used.
Witness interviews. Locating people, taking accounts while memories are still fresh, and putting them into a form that can be used later.

Who asks for this

Other lawyers who need work done in Cook County and the surrounding counties. Businesses checking who they are about to deal with. Families trying to find a relative, or to confirm that someone is who they say they are. People with a court deadline who have just discovered that a document still has to be delivered.

Working across languages and borders

Documents, records and witnesses are often not in English. This office works in English, Turkish and German, which helps when a family matter, an estate or a business dispute has one foot in the United States and the other in Europe or Türkiye. Work outside the United States follows the law of the place where it happens, and we will tell you when something cannot be done from here.

What we will not do

We do not take work that requires breaking the law or intruding on someone's privacy: no unlawful recording, no obtaining records that are protected, no pretending to be someone else in order to get information. Illinois has strict rules on recording conversations, and federal law governs how background reports may be gathered and used. Where a request falls outside those rules we will explain why and decline it.

The next step

Tell us what you need and by when. Ask what paperwork you will receive at the end — a return of service, a written report, a signed statement — because that document is usually the whole point of the exercise.

Matters we handle in this area

Process Serving

Court papers only count once they have been delivered in the way the law requires and proof of it is on file. We serve documents in Cook County and the surrounding counties and return the affidavit the court expects.
Background Checks

A background check is public record research carried out for a lawful purpose, and the purpose decides what the law allows. Tell us what decision you are making and we will tell you what may and may not be used for it.
Witness Interviews

Memories fade and people move, so an account taken early is worth more than the same account taken a year later. We locate witnesses, interview them, and put what they say into a form that can be used.

Frequently asked questions

If I hire you for an investigation, are you my lawyer?

Not automatically. Investigative work and legal representation are separate engagements and each is agreed in writing. If you need both, say so and we will set both up. If you need only the investigative work, we will tell you plainly that you are not receiving legal advice.

Can I use a background check to decide whether to hire someone?

Only under strict conditions. Federal law regulates reports used to make decisions about employment, housing, credit and insurance, and those reports have to be obtained in a particular way, usually with the written permission of the person concerned. Tell us at the outset what the decision is, because the purpose decides what is allowed.

Who is allowed to serve court papers in Illinois?

It depends on the county and on the type of case. Depending on those, papers are served by the sheriff, by a person the court appoints for that case, or by a licensed private detective. Part of the work is confirming which route applies, because service carried out the wrong way can be set aside long afterwards.

Will the person know who asked for the work?

Not from us, except where the law requires disclosure, and we will tell you in advance where those limits are. Service of process is open by its nature: the person receives the document and a record of it is filed with the court.

Can you find someone who does not want to be found?

Sometimes, using public records and lawful research, and with no promise attached. There are also situations where we will decline — for example where a search would put someone at risk or would defeat a protective order.