Skip Trace

Don’t let absentee defendants hold you back!

Legal proceedings may be delayed until a person is properly served. It also can be difficult to enforce judgements or orders if a person cannot be located and served. This costs your firm time and money. As a licensed private detective agency, Firefly specializes in skip tracing services* to help our clients locate individuals who have gone “off the grid.”

The Firefly Advantage

Most process serving firms have access to the same data. The critical difference is how that data gets searched and what gets done with it—that’s where Firefly stands apart from the others. We will exhaust all possible avenues to find the person you are looking for. Our advanced analysis means we find the right person the first time. We only attempt to serve addresses likely to be successful.

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Investigative Specialists

Firefly employs specialized, trained skip trace analysts to locate subjects by thoroughly and effectively searching public, online, and confidential databases. Our associates are trained to use a variety of investigative techniques and analyze their findings to eliminate outdated and unnecessary addresses, targeting only those with the highest possibility of contact. They are specifically trained in handling sensitive, confidential information with appropriate care, while our work processes are designed to provide added data protection.

Firefly Frequently Asked Questions

Your Roadmap to Understanding Our Law Firm

What is skip tracing?
Skip tracing is a practice used by many professionals to locate an individual (or, in the case of batch skip tracing, multiple parties) for legal reasons. This method is a legal way to find people who may not want to be found. Similarly, if an individual has relocated to another region, or even moved residences within town, they may not be immediately located. Skip tracing helps process servers ensure that time sensitive information can be delivered to the correct person, and can enable a legal case to move forward. In civil cases, process servers and other legal services may utilize skip tracing to ensure they can deliver documents (such as summons, subpoenas, court filings, and document retrivals) to intended recipients.

If you’ve retained a legal services industry leader like Firefly Legal, skip tracing may be included as a part of any process services you require. If you don’t require a process server, you might still be able to utilize outsourced skip tracers.

At Firefly Legal, we use a number of methods and technological tools to locate individuals. We start with a deep dive into public and confidential online databases. For example, we might check a party’s arrest records, credit and employment histories, last known residential addresses, tax records, and more.

Our skip tracers also utilize social media platforms to find your intended recipients. For example, geotags and other information on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter) may help us to locate someone in an efficient and timely manner.

We may also legally investigate other aspects of an individual’s life to help find them and help you to reach them.

Skip tracing is particularly important in legal cases — including civil lawsuits — as attorneys and process servers must deliver crucial and time sensitive documents. If you can’t locate named parties in your legal case, it will be difficult to pursue a claim with the courts.

Federal and state laws mandate that a defendant in a civil case has time to respond to any complaint, subpoena, summons, or other court filings before a case can progress. Without skip tracing services, the time period it takes to locate an individual could prove too long and costly.

If you’ve retained Firefly Legal and are worried that the intended target of your process services may not want to be found, you might request skip tracing upfront. Our multiple nationwide offices may help in out-of-state delivery, too. Civil cases require time sensitive documents, and each recipient of document delivery must be able to respond to any summons or subpoenas. Thus, if your intended target isn’t immediately available to receive your legal documents, skip tracing may be vital to the seamless progression of your case. Process servers may choose to utilize skip training methods if it appears that your recipient doesn’t want to be found or if they’re simply having difficulty locating individuals in a timely manner. Once your intended recipient has been located, our process servers will ensure that your documents are delivered efficiently. We’ll verify and record delivery as well.

Although the skip tracing services at Firefly Legal are typically used by attorneys, plaintiffs, or process servers in a civil legal proceeding, there are other professionals who may need to enlist skip tracing professionals.

Individuals or businesses that may require skip tracing services include:

  • Bail bondsmen
  • Banks
  • Debt collectors
  • Employment verification companies
  • Insurance claims and fraud investigators
  • Law enforcement agencies
  • Real estate agents
  • Repossession firms

Firefly Legal uses the latest technology to ensure you can receive real-time updates on your skip tracing case. Our skip tracing team may contact you to give you updates on the progress of their work. However, there are ways for you to ensure you’re up-to-date on the skip trace, too.

You can also check on your case status via our live case management portal, calling our toll-free number, (877) 963-3534, or, by contacting our status department via email.

Leave No Stone Unturned

Our customized search system is intense! It allows us to quickly identify and narrow data to a certainty that saves attempts, time, and money. The analysis and prioritization criteria in our search almost always support or reveal the most likely lead. Save time wasted on failed attempts and money spent needlessly attempting multiple addresses.

Firefly Skip+Serve:

The ultimate skip trace and service of process solution!

Firefly SwiftTrace:

Pre-service skip traces so we attempt the right address the first time.

Firefly StandardSkip:

A “Service Saver” to get your case moving again after an unsuccessful service attempt

Firefly BrightTrace:

Verified results that burn bright using additional sources and cross-referencing to find what databases can’t.

Additional Services:

Death, heir, military and probate searches.

Due Diligence:

If unable to locate a defendant, we prepare an affidavit of due diligence.

Rest assured, as industry standards become more stringent, you can trust Firefly is on top of things. We make industry best practices our every day practice.

*Skip trace services are exclusively offered to legal professionals and may only be used in connection with civil, criminal, administrative, or arbitral proceedings, including the service of process, investigation in anticipation of litigation, execution or enforcement of judgements, or compliance with orders of any court.

Interested in using Firefly for your Skip Tracing?

Firefly takes pride in putting our clients first. We are dedicated to delivering results and becoming a valued partner to you and your company. See why Firefly has become one of the nation’s most trusted legal service providers today.

Privacy Policy

Firefly’s intention is to respect and protect the privacy of users of its website. Firefly wants you to understand its practices with regard to collecting and using your information both online and offline and the steps it takes to safeguard your privacy. This statement applies to Personally Identifiable Information collected from Firefly customers. When this Privacy Policy uses the term “Personally Identifiable Information” it refers to information that lets Firefly know the specifics of who you are and can be used to identify, contact or locate you. Personally Identifiable Information might include your name, mailing address, telephone number, mobile phone number, email address, and other identification and contact information. With this information, Firefly can fill your service requests and better provide you with personalized service.

“Non Personally Identifiable Information” refers to information that does not identify a specific individual by itself or in combination with other information. Firefly may gather certain information about you such as age, date of birth, gender, as well as purchasing information based upon what services you purchase at its website. This information may be compiled and analyzed on both an individual and an aggregated basis. This information may include the Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) of the Website from which you just came, which URL you next go to, what browser you are using and your Internet Protocol (“IP”) address. A URL is the global address of documents and other resources on the Internet. An IP address is an identifier for a computer or device on a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”) network, such as the Internet. Networks use the TCP/IP protocol to route information based on the IP address of the destination. In other words, an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the Internet, allowing Internet servers to locate and identify your computer. Computers require IP addresses in order for users to communicate on the Internet, browse and shop.

No information shoold be submitted to or posted on this website by anyone under age 13. Firefly does not provide any Personally Identifiable Information to any third party for any purpose whatsoever from any user of this website who is under age 13 and no such information will be used by Firefly for any purpose.

Firefly welcomes any and all questions and feedback. For privacy-related issues, please contact Firefly at:

Firefly Legal, Inc.
19150 South 88th Avenue
Mokena, Illinois 60448
Telephone No.: (877) 963-3534
Email: info@fireflylegal.com

  1. Information Firefly Collects
    1. Personally Identifiable Information
      Collection of Personally Identifiable Information may occur when you:
      • Inquire about Firefly services;
      • Create an account at Firefly’s website;
      • Participate in any marketing survey or other Firefly activity online or offline;
      • Correspond with Firefly; or
      • Otherwise volunteer information.
    2. Non-Personally Identifiable Information
      Firefly’s website may collect some non-personal information about you using special types of technologies, so it may not be readily apparent to you that it is being collected. Non-Personally Identifiable Information is not combined with Personally Identifiable Information.
  2. Use of Data Firefly Collects
    1. Personally Identifiable Information
      Firefly wants to provide you with the best service experience. In order to do this, Firefly may use your Personally Identifiable Information to allow it to:
      • Track and verify compliance with Firefly policies and applicable laws;
      • Provide the services you request;
      • Contact you about the status of a service request;
      • Customize our communications to you; and
      • Improve our customer service.

      Your email address will not be shared with any third parties. Instructions for unsubscribing from any newsletters or promotional emails are included in every email.

    2. Non-Personally Identifiable InformationFirefly uses the Non-Personally Identifiable Information that it collects from you and other visitors in a manner that does not personally identify any individual. Firefly uses Non-Personally Identifiable Information to make its website more interesting and usefol to you. Firefly also tracks the pages or documents accessed within its website. This information is collected for systems administration and for analyzing and improving the value of the material available on our website. This Non-Personally Identifiable Information is used to help its site design team.Cookies: Like many other commercial sites, Firefly’s website utilizes standard technologies called “cookies” to collect information about how its website is used. A cookie is a small data text file that a website stores on your computer’s hard drive (if your web browser permits) that can later be retrieved to identify you to Firefly. You can set your browser to not accept cookies, but that may interfere with your use of the website. Cookies are designed to help a website recognize a user’s browser as a previous visitor and thus save and remember any preferences that may have been set while the user was browsing the site. Cookies also allow Firefly to track user trends and patterns which can help Firefly improve areas of its website. A cookie cannot be read by a website other than the one that set the cookie. Cookies can securely store a customer’s password, personalize home pages, identify which parts of a site have been visited or keep track of selections made. A cookie cannot retrieve any other data from your hard drive, pass on a computer virus or capture your email address. No Personally Identifiable Information is recorded.
  3. Information Firefly Shares with Others
    1. Firefly’s Contractors
      Firefly may contract with other companies to provide certain services to Firefly. In some instances, these contractors may have access to Personally Identifiable Information, but they are contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality of the information and to use it only for purposes of carrying out the business of Firefly. These companies are prohibited by contract from using this information for their own marketing purposes or from sharing this information with anyone other than Firefly.
    2. Third Parties
      Your email address is never shared with any third party (except as described above to our contractors who use it ONLY to carry out Firefly business).
    3. Disclosure Exceptions
      Notwithstanding the above policies, Firefly reserves the right to disclose your personal information to appropriate third parties if required to do so by law or if Firefly believes that such action is necessary:
      • To comply with legal process such as a search warrant, subpoena or court order;
      • To protect Firefly’s rights and property;
      • To investigate reports of fraud or of users sending material using a false e-mail address or users sending harassing, threatening, or abusive messages;
      • To protect against misuse or unauthorized use of the website; or
      • During emergencies, such as when Firefly believes someone’s physical safety is at risk.

Your Choices

Firefly offers choices about the types of information you receive from Firefly. If you prefer not to receive communications from Firefly or if you prefer to receive them less frequently, please contact Firefly at the address shown above.

You may ask to review, revise, correct or update any of your personal information by contacting Firefly at the address above. You may also request changes in your email preferences, such as letting Firefly know that you do not wish to receive further email communications from Firefly or if you wish to have your personal information removed from its email mailing list. You may contact Firefly with regard to these matters at the address shown above.

Please be sure to provide your exact name and address so that Firefly can be sure to identify you correctly. Because mailings are planned in advance, it may take several weeks for your request to become effective. If, due to human error, you continue to receive unwanted communications, please contact Firefly again and it will make every effort to correct the situation.

Email Use

When you provide Firefly with your email address, it may send you emails necessary to respond to a request. Your email address will be used only to respond to your request and will not be shared with any third parties. Instructions for unsubscribing from receiving future emails (opting-out) are included in every email containing promotional material.

Security

It is Firefly’s intent to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of information that it has collected from you. Firefly employs reasonable security measures to protect the security of the information you submit. When you request services or create an account on its website, your access to that account is password protected so that only you can access it. Firefly maintains the data you provide in a secure database.

Policy Changes

If Firefly makes changes to any terms or conditions of its Privacy Policy, the changes will be posted on this portion of the website so that you will always know what information is collected, how it might be used, to whom it may be disclosed and what choices you have. Please be sure to check this page each time you visit the website. Your continued use of this website following any posted changes to these terms will mean that you have accepted those changes.

Questions or Comments?

For questions, comments or assistance, you are invited to contact Firefly at its address at the beginning of this Policy or above, or by calling us toll free at (877) 963-3534.