Due diligence reports: For the company about to enter a formal business relationship or contemplating litigation, it is imperative that extra care and diligence is taken to ensure complete confidence in the individual or company you are dealing with. Every organisation attempts to portray a good front when seeking new business, however, in some cases this can become a carefully planed and deliberate deception. No important business decision should ever be made in isolation. Utilising the best possible intelligence enables organisations to take maximum advantage of all opportunities, whilst avoiding the hidden risks. It can often be essential to identify the trading practices, corporate structures and financial track record of those involved.

Competitor profiling: Knowing with whom your competitors are associated with could prove to be an invaluable source of information. Having worked hard to achieve a competitive advantage and market position, you want to retain it. It can often prove difficult and time consuming, to establish an accurate picture of your competitor's business. You need to know if you are competing on a level footing or that an unfair advantage exists.

ADA Associates research department has direct links to databases and intelligence networks which allow us to provide accurate information as to the true business interests and beneficiaries. An accurate financial picture and any conflict of interest can then be isolated and examined. If felt prudent more stringent enquires can then be undertaken.

DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU EMPLOY?

Any member of staff within an organisation can often access sensitive or confidential information with relative ease and then utilise this information for their own gain. It is also possible that they could carry out some action which may have a detrimental effect on the companies reputation. It is a misconception to assume that only very senior members of staff or personnel in sensitive positions can cause real harm to a business. In reality the most common or publicised instances of fraud or industrial espionage are often perpetrated by very junior members of staff or an individual on a short term contract.

ADA Associates can help, the only reliable way of eliminating or greatly reducing such risk is to thoroughly screen the details of every member of staff from entry level to senior management. The details supplied by employees on a CV or application form are generally a combination of facts and representations. The fact speak for themselves and are difficult to alter, such as sex, height and such like, however, almost every other detail is open to misrepresentation. Recent studies have shown that almost 30% of all resumes contain falsehoods and over 80% mislead. Some of these falsehoods are harmless, for example an individual claims to participate in a particular team sport or recreational hobby in an attempt to demonstrate team member skills, but there are also some serious breaches of legal and ethical boundaries, such as omitting a previous employment record due to loss of the position over unresolved disciplinary matter. Is it really worth the risk ?, by the time you realise that a bad choice has been made the individual could have seriously effected your companies reputation and future standing.

The importance of carry out even the simplest checks can not be over stated. It is commonly believed that in almost 60% of employee theft and fraud related cases the individual responsible would not have been employed if they had been subjected to vetting at the time of their original application. Normal business practice generally dictates that references and simple pre-employment checks are taken up on all new recruits. This generally involves verifying educational and professional attainments, obtaining written references, verifying personal details and checking the existence of certificates. However, this simple first stage of checks has its obvious limitations and often requires the applicant to be taken at face value.

ADA Associates dig deeper and view each request on an individual basis. We liaise with our client to ascertain the key information areas and tailor our search to critical duties and responsibilities.

Our services can be provided quickly and efficiently, we recognise that it is not always possible to wait a long period of time to obtain the required information and thus risk losing a potentially valuable member of staff.

We are able to provide clients with comprehensive financial information concerning status and asset holdings. This allows clients, who include liquidators, solicitors and financial institutions, to make an informed assessment of viability before pursuing litigation against an organisation or the terms concerning repayment of outstanding dept. Under such circumstances it is common for assets to be disposed of or concealed. However, through complex investigation and intelligence networking, ADA Associates have the ability to identify and locate such assets, and boast an excellent success rate.

Before placing your trust in a complete stranger, would you not like to have confirmation that they are indeed who they claim to be?. This may be prior to entering into a new business relationship or dealing with a personal acquaintance. Even if you are merely concerned about a particular individual's back ground it can often prove vital to be prudent.

ADA Associates view each request on an individual basis. We liaise with our client to ascertain the key information areas and tailor our enquiries accordingly.

Standard background checks include confirmation of an individuals full name, date of birth, current and previous address, qualifications, current employment and marital status.

More comprehensive checks can also be carried out to confirm information such as financial status, including county court judgements and bankruptcy information.

An essential service to corporate clients is that of asset identification and recovery. An ever increasing number of unscrupulous individuals who are often linked to organised crime such as counterfeiting, attempt to dispose, conceal or launder funds. Their methods are diverse and include the use of front companies, with both on shore and off shore bank accounts.

ADA Associates have a team of specialist researchers and financial experts who through complex investigation, intelligence networks and databases have the ability to locate assets fully and quickly. Once assets have been identified we recognise the importance of speed of action and timing if these assets are to be subject to successful sequestration.

ADA Associates offer a comprehensive investigation and litigation support service to the legal profession. We can assist with all aspects of civil, criminal and personal matters with a high degree of professionalism and discretion. Our services are extensive and include the following:

• Obtaining expert witness and technical evidence.
• The identification, location and interview of key witnesses.
• Statement recording.
• Preparation of detailed accident location plans.
• Process serving.
• Investigation of characters and backgrounds of witnesses.
• Identification and isolation of key factors concerning opposition witnesses.
• Criminal defence investigation.
• Asset identification.

Our investigators have extensive practical knowledge of the law, investigative interviewing skills and techniques, and can provide evidence in person should a matter proceed to court.

International Corporate Investigators
81-83 Duncan Road · Gillingham · Kent ME7 4JY
Tel 01634 573344 · Fax 01634 573359 · DX 6622 Gillingham

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