Services · II
Skip Tracing for Attorneys and Law Firms
Current, defensible addresses for defendants, witnesses and class members who have moved on, anywhere in the country, so a party you cannot find becomes a party you can serve.
Who It's For
For legal teams that need to serve someone
- Attorneys and law firms with a defendant or witness who is no longer at the last known address.
- Paralegals and case managers who need an address that will hold up before a server is sent out.
- Class action and mass tort teams locating hundreds of class members or claimants at once by spreadsheet.
Every trace request carries your certification, under our Terms of Service, that it is made for a permissible purpose. Locating a party for service of process is a common one.
- Same-day results in most cases
- No hit, no charge, shown plainly in your portal
- $25 per successful trace · discount codes honored
- Single-entry form or CSV/Excel bulk upload with preview
- Every request certified for a permissible purpose
- Dispute any released result before you pay
- Process servers in every state on the same account
The Method
How it works, step by step
- Create a free account and enter a subject: first and last name at minimum, plus anything else you have (last known address, date of birth or approximate age, phone, email). Add your case number or internal reference so the result comes back matched to your file.
- Or upload a list. A CSV or Excel file of hundreds of subjects, with a preview to confirm before anything is submitted.
- We search licensed data sources and public records and check what comes back against other records before it is released. A result that cannot be corroborated closes as a no-hit rather than a guess.
- The result is released to your portal with what was found, such as addresses and phone numbers.
- Serve the located party. Order the serve from the same account at the address in your result. See process serving in California and nationwide.
What it costs
$25 per successful trace on standard pricing, with your firm's discount code applied automatically if it holds one. When nothing reliable comes back, the trace closes as a no-hit and you pay nothing. Hits are itemized on your regular invoice (subject, date, price, discount), and any released result can be disputed within 14 days of release, before you pay.
Tracing a large class or claimant list? Send us the shape of the list for volume pricing.
Turnaround
Most results come back the same day. In rare cases a trace takes 24 to 48 hours. Each trace shows its status in your portal from submission to release.
What you get
- The current address found, with whatever else the search turned up, such as phone numbers.
- The case number and reference you entered, so the result matches your file.
- A dispute option on every released result (outdated information, a single weak data point, or the wrong person).
- An itemized line on your invoice only when the trace succeeds.
When a skip trace helps
- Before the first attempt, when the only address you have is old: a server sent to a stale address spends the attempts and finds no one there.
- After the attempts show the person has moved: the server's notes say a new resident answered, or the unit is empty.
- Before substituted service. In California, substituted service on an individual is allowed only when the papers cannot with reasonable diligence be delivered in person (Code of Civil Procedure section 415.20). Our guides cover substituted service in California and personal service in California. Whether a search is needed to show diligence in your case is a question for you or your attorney.
- When a company's agent can't be found at the listed address and an officer is being served instead: a trace can look for that officer's current address. See how to serve a California corporation.
Where we trace
Nationwide. A subject can be anywhere in the United States, and the located party can be served through our process servers in California and every other state from the same account.
Questions
Common Questions
Before you search.
What is skip tracing for attorneys?
Skip tracing is finding a current address for someone who has moved or cannot be reached at their last known address, most often a defendant or witness who needs to be served. We search licensed data sources and public records for the subject, check what comes back against other records, and release a result your firm can rely on, or close the trace as a no-hit.
How much does skip tracing cost?
$25 per successful trace on standard pricing, with discount codes applied automatically. A trace that finds nothing reliable closes as a no-hit and is not billed, and a released result can be disputed within 14 days of release, before it reaches your invoice.
How long does a skip trace take?
Most results come back the same day. In rare cases a trace takes 24 to 48 hours. You can follow each trace's status in your portal.
What information do you need to locate someone?
A first and last name is the minimum. Anything else you hold makes the search faster and the result more certain: a last known address, city, state or ZIP, date of birth, a phone number, or an email address. You can also attach your own case number or internal reference so results come back matched to your file.
Is skip tracing legal?
Yes, when it is done for a lawful purpose, and locating a party for service of process is a common one. Federal law, for example, allows motor vehicle record information to be used in connection with a court proceeding, including the service of process (18 U.S.C. section 2721(b)(4)). Access to the underlying data is regulated, so every request is made under your certification of a permissible purpose, and the data comes from licensed sources. Whether a particular purpose qualifies is a question for you or your attorney.
What happens once the person is found?
The result is released to your portal, and you can order a serve at the address it found from the same account. Our process servers work in California and every other state, so the trace and the serve stay on one account.
Have a list that needs finding?
One account covers skip tracing, process serving, and court filing. Create it in two minutes, or send us the shape of your list for volume pricing.