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Background Checks

It came up as an afterthought during a conversation the client had with his attorney. He was about to offer the position of manager of his retail store to a candidate who had a lot of “people skills,” but he wondered if he should make further inquiries into the almost-employee’s background. 

“We do that,” the lawyer said, surprising his client. The client thought lawyers handled contracts and taxes, and either prosecuted or defended lawsuits when something went south. “An ounce of prevention,” the lawyer reminded him, “is worth a pound of cure.” 

The client gave the go-ahead for a background check on the job applicant, and the lawyer’s staff went to work on it. Using subscription databases and public records, they checked the applicant’s addresses against the list he provided, looked for judgments and the circumstances surrounding them, reviewed past employment, real and personal property owned, and checked for a criminal record. Within a few hours, the client learned that his almost-employee was a fugitive from a few states away. The man had been sentenced to prison for forgery and embezzlement, was supposed to report to prison, and instead left the state. The client felt as if a bullet had passed next to his ear.

A few weeks later, the client called for a background check on another potential store manager. The second applicant was an improvement over the first only in that he served his prison term – for counterfeiting and grand larceny – instead of skipping out on it. He listed his time in custody as college attendance. This was, of course, another no-hire.

Two weeks passed, and the client asked for a background check on a third potential store manager. The client was understandably nervous about the outcome, having been nearly taken in by two con men. They say the third time is a charm, and it certainly was for the client. The background check revealed that the applicant had worked as a retail sales manager for the same business for 8 years, until it went under in the economic recession of 2008-2009. He then worked as a janitor, still looking for a job better suited to his abilities, but not too proud to pick up a mop. He was a great choice to manage the client’s store.

Few law firms offer such “ounce of prevention” background checks. ThompsonMcMullan does because we understand how important such information can be to our clients in making pivotal business decisions. For over 35 years, the success of our clients has been the key to the success of our law firm.