What can a lawyer discover when they do an asset check?

Suppose someone wants to sue me for personal injury. If they want a lawyer to take the case on a contingency(?) basis then the lawyer runs an asset check on me, right? Will he or she be able to find out about assets such as cash, stocks, IRA? Or is that information private?

Generally a lawyer will not do much of an asset check prior to taking on the case. In depth investigation costs money. They may just verify that the defendant has insurance. If there is no insurance, chances are they won't take the case because everyone that has assets that are worth pursuing will have insurance to protect those assets. On the other hand, if there is no insurance (maybe it just lapsed briefly), they may try to find out if the Defendant has a decent job or owns property.

When it comes to collecting a judgment, however, an attorney will stop at nothing to find assets. Generally, a judgment debtor can be compelled by the Court to divulge all assets, and if the debtor tries to hide anything, they could risk being thrown in jail for contempt.

Good luck!

depends on how deep they want to dig. When it comes to money a lawyer will use a might deep shovel.

thye can find anything that is in your name and SS#

Everything that has a paper trail they will follow. You could be in deep s___t.

I don't think your premise is correct. In New York - you can only check the assets via an "information subpoena" AFTER the other guy has gotten a judgment against you. Before that point - like now - he has no right to know what you have. What he does have a right to know is your insurance status.

This is not legal advice. Contact your insurance agent immediately. They will then make arrangements for you to have an attorney. That's why you pay your premiums.