There are few things more frustrating in litigation than a bad service of process address. It’s not an issue you can work through by simply searching through Google or social media platforms. Luckily, with advances in technology and legal support services, hard to find individuals or businesses can be found through a service called skip tracing.

Surprisingly, attempting service at a vacant or incorrect address is not uncommon. Even small businesses frequently change their address and take their time to update their statement of information. This created enormous problems for practitioners in the past, forcing them to employ private investigators and pay expensive hourly rates for stakeouts all while their pending litigation collected dust in a holding pattern. Flashing forward to the present, something called a “Skip Trace” has improved the chances of locating the best last known address of the person they are trying to serve.

Simply put, a skip trace is nationwide records check that cross references names, prior addresses, and other pertinent information such as birthdays to produce in-depth lists of current and prior addresses for any given party or business. Skip tracing has been a major benefit for litigators everywhere, taking a once arduous process filled with high costs and streamlining it such that litigators can update their out-of-date records with the push of a button.

These days, firms should never be held hostage by vacant or incorrect addresses. Every service of process both can and should be completed expediently, even if the only known address on file is an abandoned building. If your attorney service provider does not offer you skip tracing services for your process serving orders, it might be wise to look elsewhere for a provider that does. If you need help evaluating the deluge of attorney service providers in the state of California, please give us a call at (800) 687-5003 or su*****@le*****************.com and we’d be happy help you explore your options.