We are a nationwide litigation support company. Eight services under one roof: service of process, subpoena domestication, skip tracing, court document retrieval, court filings, mobile notary, legal courier, and apostille and authentication. One file, one point of contact, and an unbroken chain of custody from the first locate to a document that works abroad.
Are you a law firm?
No, and this matters. We are an administrative legal-support provider. We execute your instructions and submit your documents exactly as you provide them. We do not draft, edit, correct, proofread or evaluate the legal sufficiency of anything you send us, and nothing we say is legal advice. Nothing in our relationship creates an attorney-client relationship. That is set out in full in the Disclaimer Policy.
Where do you operate?
All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. International work is handled on a project-by-project basis through the Hague Service Convention, letters rogatory, or in-country agents depending on the destination. The coverage page lets you pick a service and a jurisdiction and shows you the governing framework for that combination.
Who typically uses you?
Law firms and their paralegals, in-house legal departments, collections and subrogation teams, property managers and landlords, and self-represented litigants. The workflow is the same for all of them; what changes is how much procedural explanation you want along the way.
Are you licensed?
Licensing for process servers varies enormously — some states license at state level, some by county, some not at all, and some require bonding or registration instead. Assignments are routed to operatives credentialed for the jurisdiction the work sits in. If you need to see documentation for a specific state before you place a matter, ask.
Do you use your own people or subcontractors?
Both, depending on the jurisdiction. Field work across 50 states is not something any single roster covers, so assignments are routed to vetted operatives who hold the credentials that jurisdiction requires. They are vetted for licensing, professional standing, insurance and prior performance before anything is assigned, and they work under written terms that bind them to the same confidentiality obligations we carry.
What goes wrong most often?
Bad address data, by a wide margin. A defendant who moved eighteen months ago, an apartment number omitted, a registered agent that resigned. The second most common is an undisclosed access restriction — a gated community or a secured building that nobody mentioned at intake. Both are cheaper to solve before dispatch than after, which is why address verification exists as a separate step.
How is my information handled?
Case files are treated as confidential. Access is role-based and limited to the people and subcontractors working on your specific order. Personal information is encrypted in transit and at rest where the storage system supports it, subcontractors are bound by written confidentiality obligations, and completed order files are retained for seven years. The Privacy Policy covers your rights under California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, Texas and Oregon law, and under the GDPR.
Do you use AI?
For internal administrative and operational work — formatting, drafting support, jurisdiction research, data entry, proofreading. Every client-facing action stays under human review, and AI output is never legal advice. We do not send confidential case detail to AI platforms in a way that lets the provider train on your data. It is disclosed at § 11 of the Terms of Service rather than buried.
Can you handle documents that aren't in English?
Yes, with certified translation arranged as part of the matter. For international service, most destination countries require the documents and the request to be translated into the official language of that country, and a Hague Central Authority will reject a submission that is not. Translation cost runs through the retainer described in the billing section below.
9 questionsGetting started
How do I place an order?
Send the matter — documents and whatever detail you have — through the contact form or by email. A coordinator reviews it, confirms scope and jurisdiction, and returns a written quote. Work begins once you approve that quote. No account, no portal signup, no minimum.
What do you need from me?
For most matters: the documents to be served or filed, the recipient’s full name and any known address, the court and case number, and any deadline you are working to. If you are missing something — an address, a middle initial, a current employer — say so rather than guessing. Incomplete is workable. Wrong is expensive.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no portal to sign up for and no platform fee. If your firm prefers to work through its own secure-share system, we will use that instead.
How do I send documents securely?
Email attachment, a secure link, or your firm’s preferred secure-share platform — whichever you already use. We do not require you to adopt ours.
When will I get a quote?
Every matter is quoted in writing before anything runs. The quote separates our service fee from any third-party court or authority costs, and it lists any conditional charge that already applies to your matter. Nothing is billed beyond that quote without your written approval.
How do I check on a matter?
Ask your coordinator — every order has one, so you are not explaining the matter again to a queue. Status updates also go out by email as the matter moves — dispatch, attempts, completion, affidavit delivery.
Can I change an order after submitting it?
Tell us as early as you can. Before dispatch, most changes are straightforward. After an assignment has been routed to a server, a material change — a new address, revised documents, a fresh set of attempts — is treated as a new separately billed order. The supplementary costs page lists what triggers that.
Can I cancel?
Yes, in writing. What it costs depends on the stage the order has reached and the work already performed. The Refund & Cancellation Policy sets out what applies at each stage. Verbal cancellations are not effective — put it in an email.
What if my matter is unusual?
Describe it. We have run most of the awkward ones — a defendant with no registered agent, a witness in a state that has not adopted the UIDDA, a document that needs an apostille for a non-Hague country. If it is not something we do, you will hear that rather than a quote.
13 questionsService of process
What does a standard service of process order include?
Up to three diligent attempts at one address, made on varied days and at varied times; a court-accepted affidavit of service; notarisation of the proof where the jurisdiction requires it; a record of each attempt with date, time, address, method and the server’s observations; status updates; and court-format compliance review before delivery. An affidavit of non-service is provided at no additional charge where service cannot be completed.
How fast is it?
Four tiers, and each one describes when the first attempt is made — not when the job completes. Routine is 3–5 business days, Preferred is 1–3, Next-Day is within 48 hours, and Same-Day is the same business day where local field coverage allows. Subsequent attempts follow on varied days and times. Nobody can promise a completion date, because completion depends on a person being where you say they are.
Why can't you guarantee successful service?
Because the outcome depends on somebody else. A subject can be evading, relocated, deceased, incarcerated, or simply out. Your fee buys diligent effort, documented properly — travel, expertise, coordination and a defensible record. Where service cannot be completed, you receive an affidavit of due diligence, which is what a court needs to authorise an alternative method.
What happens after three attempts?
You get a report of what happened at each one and a recommendation. Depending on the jurisdiction and the facts, the next step might be a fresh set of attempts at a new address, a skip trace to find a better one, extended observation at a known address, or a motion for alternative service — posting, publication, or service on the Secretary of State. Each carries its own cost, quoted before it runs.
Can you serve a corporation or a registered agent?
Yes. Checking the agent’s current standing before dispatch tends to be more useful than discovering the problem after a failed attempt. Where an entity has dissolved, merged, or is not registered in the state, we report that finding — often it is the most useful thing we produce, because it changes what you file next.
Can you serve someone at work?
In most jurisdictions, yes, subject to operational rules. Field operatives serve discreetly, avoid announcing the nature of the documents in front of colleagues, and respect employer access rules. Some employers require appointments or insist service happen at a designated area. The affidavit identifies the location as the recipient’s place of business.
What about gated communities, high-rises and secured buildings?
These need advance planning and often cost more, because access has to be arranged rather than assumed. A doorman who refuses entry is not a failed attempt, it is an access problem with its own solutions — management cooperation, a scheduled window, or service at a second address.
Can you serve in a prison, a military base or a courthouse?
These are restricted locations and we will not attempt them without your prior authorisation, because they require credentialing, clearance or an escorted visit. Correctional facilities, federal buildings, embassies, tribal lands where tribal jurisdiction restricts private servers, and active courtrooms all fall into this category. Tell us up front if the address is one of these. An undisclosed restriction that causes a cancellation carries an administrative fee under the Terms of Service, and it is entirely avoidable by mentioning it at intake.
What is posting or nail-and-mail service?
A statutory method where process is affixed to the premises and followed by mailing a copy. It is never a default — it requires either a court order authorising alternative service or a specific statute permitting it, and almost always requires documented diligent attempts at personal service first. We document those attempts, perform the mailing component, and the affidavit uses posting-specific language.
Do you handle evictions and unlawful detainers?
Yes, and they run on tighter statutory rules than ordinary civil service — specific notice periods, specific methods, and affidavits that have to match the statute exactly. Tell us it is an eviction at intake so it is routed correctly from the start.
Can you serve multiple defendants at the same time?
Yes. Coordinated simultaneous service dispatches servers to multiple addresses with synchronised timing, typically within a defined window of one another. It is used where advance notice to one party would prejudice service on the others. It does not guarantee everyone is home — where a recipient is absent, that address continues on ordinary attempts.
Do you handle international service?
Yes, on a project-by-project basis. Hague Central Authority service typically takes months rather than weeks and is entirely dependent on the destination country’s cooperation. Letters rogatory for non-Hague countries take longer still. Informal service through an in-country agent is faster where the destination permits it. Once international coordination begins, the order is non-refundable, because the cost is incurred immediately.
How do I get the affidavit?
By email as a PDF, with physical originals by mail where the court requires wet-ink filing. It is reviewed for court-format compliance before it goes out. If a court rejects it over a defect on our side rather than in your underlying documents, tell us — that is ours to put right.
10 questionsSubpoena domestication
What is subpoena domestication?
Getting an out-of-state subpoena recognised and issued in the state where the witness or records actually are. A subpoena issued by a Nevada court has no power over a person in Florida until Florida issues its own. Domestication is the process of converting one into the other so it can be enforced.
When do I need it?
Any time the person or business holding the evidence sits in a different state from the court hearing your case. Out-of-state depositions, medical records from a hospital in another state, employment records from a company headquartered elsewhere, bank records from an out-of-state branch.
What is the UIDDA?
The Uniform Interstate Depositions and Discovery Act. In states that have adopted it, you submit the foreign subpoena to the clerk and the clerk issues a local one — a largely administrative process rather than a motion. Most states have adopted it. Massachusetts, Missouri and New Hampshire have not, and those require a commission, letters rogatory or a miscellaneous action instead.
Is it the same in every UIDDA state?
No, and this is where matters go wrong. Adoption is uniform in name only. Colorado and Vermont require a judge to review the request before the clerk issues — it is not a counter transaction. Texas eFiling opens a new case, with a filing fee to match. Connecticut requires the request to be paired with a deposition. New York files with the County Clerk rather than the court. Vermont carries one of the higher fees in the country; Idaho opens no case file and charges nothing at all. Some states require a reciprocity statement; others do not. Fees are set by each state and change, so we confirm the current figure for your jurisdiction with the quote.
Which court does it file in?
It depends on the state, and often the act does not say. Where the statute names the court — Colorado’s district court, Georgia’s superior court, New York’s county clerk — we file there. Where the act says only “a clerk of court in the county,” the court follows from that state’s trial-court structure. We confirm the filing path for your specific jurisdiction before you commit.
What do you need from me?
The issued subpoena from the originating court, the case caption and number, the name and address of the person or entity to be subpoenaed, and the deposition or production date. Some states need the original or a certified copy rather than a scan — Louisiana does. We tell you which before you send anything.
Do you serve it once it's domesticated?
Yes, and it is usually the point of the exercise. The domesticated subpoena is served under the local state’s rules, with a proof of service that the issuing court will accept.
What about witness fees and mileage?
Many jurisdictions require a witness fee, and sometimes mileage, to be tendered at the time of service — if it is not, the subpoena may be unenforceable. Amounts are set by statute and vary widely. These are third-party costs and run through the retainer described in the billing section.
What if the witness objects or moves to quash?
That is litigation and it belongs with counsel. Motion practice in the domesticating state generally requires an attorney admitted there — Vermont says so explicitly. We can serve papers and retrieve filings, but we do not appear or argue. Some states shift fees on a successful motion; Tennessee and Wisconsin do.
Can you domesticate in Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands?
The U.S. Virgin Islands has adopted the UIDDA, codified at 5 V.I.C. §§ 4922 et seq. Puerto Rico is less clear: other states’ enactments name Puerto Rico as a jurisdiction whose subpoenas they will honour, but whether Puerto Rico itself has enacted the act is unconfirmed. Ask before you commit to a timeline there — the filing path is worth establishing first.
8 questionsSkip tracing
What is skip tracing?
Locating someone whose current whereabouts are unknown — a defendant who has moved, a witness with an outdated address, a debtor who left no forwarding details. We search licensed commercial databases, public records, court filings, property records and Secretary of State registrations to identify the most likely current address.
What can you actually find?
Current and prior addresses, associated phone numbers, known relatives and associates, employment where it appears in the record, property ownership, and business affiliations. What you get back is the most likely current address or point of contact based on available data, with the supporting detail behind it.
Will it definitely find them?
No. Data availability varies by person and by state, and someone deliberately avoiding contact can be genuinely hard to locate. A diligent search that returns limited or inconclusive results is still work performed and is charged as such. If the search comes back thin, we tell you what we found and what the realistic next step is rather than padding a report.
How long does it take?
Search turnaround is confirmed with the quote for your matter. Complex cases — multi-state lookups, alias usage, deliberate evasion, restricted record types — take longer than a straightforward address confirmation, and we say which yours looks like when we quote it.
Can you use it for a background check?
No. Skip-trace output is not a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act and may not be used to make decisions about credit, employment, insurance, housing, or anything else the FCRA governs. It is for locating a person in connection with a legal matter.
What are the permitted uses?
Locating a party for service, locating a debtor by a licensed creditor, verifying a witness’s whereabouts, and identifying parties for litigation. Results must not be used for harassment, stalking, marketing, or any unlawful purpose. We require certification of lawful purpose and we decline requests where we cannot establish one.
Can I just get a search without service?
Yes. Skip tracing is a standalone service. Most clients pair it with service of process because a located address is only useful if someone goes there, but you can order the locate on its own.
Do you verify the address before serving?
You can order that separately. Address verification confirms an address before anyone travels — worth doing where the address is old, out of area, or you are about to pay for an expedited attempt. It costs less than dispatching a server to a vacant house.
9 questionsCourt filings & records
What can you file?
Civil, family, probate, criminal and appellate filings in state and federal courts, plus recording-office submissions — deeds, liens, UCC filings, mortgages and satisfactions — and Secretary of State filings. Electronic where the court e-files, physical where it does not.
Are court filing fees included in your price?
No, and they are handled differently from our fee. Filing fees, clerk copy charges, certification fees and recording fees are set by the court or authority, not by us. They run through a retainer: a figure set with your quote, drawn down against the actual charges as they are incurred, and reconciled when the work is done. If it comes in under, the difference is returned. If it runs over, you are billed the difference. It appears on its own invoice line, separate from our fee.
Why a retainer rather than a fixed price?
Because we do not set those charges and often cannot know them in advance. A clerk’s copy charge depends on the page count of a file nobody has pulled yet. A filing fee depends on what the court decides the filing is. Quoting a fixed figure would mean estimating high and keeping the difference, which is not how we want to bill.
What if the court rejects my filing?
Our fee covers making the submission properly and documenting the outcome — not the receiving authority’s decision, which is outside our control. You receive a Submission Receipt recording the date, time and location of the attempt, who made it, what was tendered, the receiving clerk where available, and the stated reason for rejection. That record is often what you need to fix the filing. If the rejection was caused by our error, we correct and resubmit at no charge.
What court records can you retrieve?
Civil, criminal, family, probate and appellate case files; dockets; judgments; liens; and recorded instruments. Certified copies where the court issues them. Both electronic pulls and in-person retrieval where the court requires someone to physically appear at the clerk’s window.
Can you get sealed or restricted records?
Only with a court order authorising release. Sealed records, expunged matters, juvenile files and records under protective order are not available on request — not by us and not by anyone. If you have the order, send it and we will execute against it.
Do you handle federal court?
Yes, including PACER retrieval and CM/ECF filings, subject to the specific court’s local rules and e-filing requirements.
How fast is retrieval?
It depends almost entirely on the court, and we confirm the current window with your quote rather than publishing a national number. Some clerks turn a request around the same day; some counties run weeks behind; some require an in-person visit and a wait at the window. We tell you what your court is doing at the time you order.
Do you provide certified copies?
Where the court issues them, yes. Certification is a court function with a court fee, and that fee runs through the retainer like any other third-party charge.
8 questionsNotary & apostille
What does mobile notary cover?
A commissioned notary travels to you — office, home, hospital, care facility, correctional facility where permitted. Acknowledgments, jurats, oaths and affirmations, signature witnessing, copy certification where state law allows it, and loan-document signings.
What ID do I need?
Current, government-issued photo identification — driver’s licence, state ID, passport, military ID. It must be unexpired and the name must match the document being signed. A notary who cannot verify identity to the state’s standard cannot notarise, and that is not a discretionary call.
Do you do remote online notarization?
Where state law permits it and the transaction qualifies. RON availability varies by state and by document type, and some receiving parties — particularly title companies and foreign authorities — will not accept a remotely notarised signature even where the state allows it. Check with whoever is receiving the document before choosing RON.
What is an apostille?
A certificate that authenticates a public document for use in another country that is party to the Hague Apostille Convention. It verifies the signature, the capacity of the signer and the seal — not the content. With an apostille, the destination country accepts the document without further legalisation.
Apostille or authentication — which do I need?
It depends on the destination. Countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention take an apostille. Countries that are not require the longer authentication chain — state, then U.S. Department of State, then the destination country’s embassy or consulate. We identify which route your document needs before starting.
How long does an apostille take?
Turnaround is set by the issuing authority — the Secretary of State or the U.S. Department of State — and we cannot commit to their processing times. Some state offices turn around in days; the federal chain and consular legalisation run considerably longer. We confirm the current published window with your quote.
What documents can be apostilled?
Public documents: vital records, court documents, notarised instruments, corporate records, powers of attorney, diplomas and academic records. Requirements differ — some need certified copies from the issuing agency rather than originals, some need a notarised copy first. Getting this wrong is the most common cause of rejection, so we check before submitting.
Which countries do you handle?
Any Hague Convention country by apostille, and non-Hague countries through the authentication and consular legalisation chain. Consular requirements vary considerably and some embassies impose their own additional steps.
6 questionsLegal courier
What does the legal courier service cover?
Hand delivery of legal documents where email will not do — original signed instruments, filings a clerk must receive physically, documents moving between counsel, and anything requiring a documented handoff. Delivery is recorded with date, time, address and recipient acknowledgment where possible.
Do you provide chain of custody?
Yes, for sensitive documents. Custody is recorded from pickup to delivery so you can evidence who held the document and when. Say at intake that a matter needs chain-of-custody handling so it is routed to an operative who documents accordingly.
Is a courier delivery the same as service of process?
No, and this catches people out. A courier delivery documents a handoff. It is not service of process and it does not satisfy a service requirement unless the applicable rule specifically permits delivery by that method. If you need service, order service.
Can you guarantee a delivery time?
Delivery estimates are estimates. Traffic, weather, building access and courier availability all affect them. Where a delivery is genuinely time-critical — a filing deadline, a closing — tell us at intake and confirm the arrangement in writing before dispatch rather than assuming.
Can you deliver to a court?
Yes, including filings that must be physically tendered at the clerk’s window. What you get back is a Submission Receipt recording the attempt and its outcome, whether the clerk accepted the filing or rejected it and why.
What about valuables or irreplaceable originals?
Tell us in advance. Standard courier coverage is not insured for high-value items, and additional coverage has to be arranged before dispatch rather than claimed afterwards. Cash, valuables and irreplaceable originals need a written arrangement first.
10 questionsPricing & billing
What's included in the base price?
For service of process: up to three diligent attempts at one address, a court-accepted affidavit, notarisation where required, an attempt record with date, time, address, method and observations, status updates, a direct line to your coordinator, court-format compliance review, an affidavit of non-service where service cannot be completed, and long-term retention of the record. Other services have their own scope, set out in the written quote.
Are there hidden fees?
No charge appears on your invoice that was not on your approved quote. Two standing charges apply to every completed order — a $25 service execution fee and an administrative processing fee of $20 or 4%, whichever is greater — and both are shown on the quote before you approve it. Beyond that, conditional charges apply only where the condition arises, and each one is listed on the supplementary costs page. If it is not on that page, it does not appear on your invoice.
What might be added to my quote?
Travel where the address sits well outside a server’s normal radius; a surcharge for a restricted facility needing clearance; rush handling; skip tracing or address verification; extended observation; re-service at a new address; publication coordination where a court orders it; high-volume document handling; and re-issuing an affidavit where details changed on your side. Each is quoted per matter, because the same condition costs differently in a dense county and a rural one.
What happens if something comes up mid-matter?
Work pauses. You get the figure in writing with what triggered it and what it covers, and an alternative where one exists. Approve and it proceeds; decline and the matter closes at work already performed. Not answering is a valid answer — nothing runs.
How are court and authority costs billed?
Separately from our fee, through a retainer. It is set with your quote, drawn down against the actual charges as they are incurred, and reconciled when the work is done — under, and the difference is returned; over, and you are billed the difference. Filing fees, clerk copy and certification charges, witness fees, publication costs, apostille and consular fees all run this way, on their own invoice line.
Do I pay if service is unsuccessful?
Yes. The fee buys diligent effort documented properly, not a guaranteed outcome. What you receive is an affidavit of due diligence recording every attempt, which is what a court needs to authorise an alternative method. If we could only charge for successful service, nobody would accept a difficult one — and difficult ones are most of why you would call us.
What payment methods do you take?
Card, ACH and cheque. Law-firm trust and IOLTA payments are accepted. Established accounts may be granted invoicing terms; most orders are prepaid at submission, with the quote issued as a no-obligation invoice and work starting when it is paid.
Do you offer volume or firm terms?
Yes. Firms and organisations sending regular volume can work under a Master Services Agreement, which can also pre-authorise defined categories of supplementary charge up to a threshold so there is less back-and-forth on routine matters. It does not remove disclosure — everything still appears on the invoice.
Can I get a custom quote?
Yes, and for anything unusual you should. Describe the matter and a coordinator will scope it, including where the answer is that a different approach would serve you better.
How do I query an invoice?
Contact your coordinator with the invoice and the line in question. We review the underlying record — the attempt log, the receipt, the authorisation — and respond with what we find. An invoice line you do not recognise is a mistake on our side, not a matter for argument. The formal process is in the Refund & Cancellation Policy.
Still stuck
Not on the list?Then ask us directly.
Describe the matter and a coordinator will tell you how it would run, in writing, before anything is placed. If we cannot help, we will say so and point you somewhere that can.
Answers on this page are general information, not legal advice. Served 123 LLC is a litigation support company, not a law firm, and does not draft, review or evaluate the legal sufficiency of client documents. Attempt windows describe when the first attempt is made, not when a matter completes; outcomes depend on facts outside our control. Court, clerk, witness, publication and authority fees are charged by the relevant body, run through a separate retainer drawn down against the actual charge and reconciled after the work, and do not form part of the service fee. Where this page differs from the Terms of Service, Terms & Conditions, Refund & Cancellation Policy or Supplementary Costs, those documents control. Coverage spans all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Member, National Association of Professional Process Servers, since 2023.
