Off The Record

What Off The Record does

Off The Record (OTR), founded in October 2015 in Seattle by former Amazon engineers Alex Guirguis and Mark Mikhail, operates a legal-technology marketplace that connects drivers receiving traffic citations with a nationwide network of vetted local traffic attorneys. The platform is accessible via website and native iOS/Android apps; customers submit a photo of their ticket, answer a few questions, and receive an instant quote and attorney match. OTR covers all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. through a network of 1,000+ partner attorneys and reports a 97% favorable-outcome rate across more than 500,000 lifetime cases.

The company's core technology is SmartMatch, a proprietary matching algorithm built on over 10 years of case outcome data. SmartMatch ranks attorneys by success rate, legal fee, response time, customer service ratings, and court-specific historical performance, then pairs the driver with the best-fit local counsel. The platform also includes real-time case tracking with attorney messaging, push notifications, a money-back guarantee on eligible outcomes, a web-based attorney portal (mylawfirm.offtherecord.com) for case management, and Stripe-integrated payment processing. The product portfolio has expanded beyond simple traffic tickets to include DUI/DWI, suspended license, reckless driving, CDL violations, boating DUI, and traffic misdemeanors.

OTR generates revenue through three streams: a $10 per-case booking fee plus an undisclosed attorney-side marketing/usage fee on each accepted case, annual subscription revenue from Fastlane Membership (unlimited nationwide coverage) and Fastlane Teen (free first-ticket coverage for drivers 16-19), and a referral program that pays $10 per successful referral. Per-case legal fees vary by jurisdiction (e.g., $99-$250 in Seattle, down from $350-$450 pre-OTR; $99-$120 in NYC). The company is privately held with 1-10 employees, a single disclosed seed funding event (Revolution's Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, August 2019), and a wholly-owned Florida subsidiary (OTR Florida Law) to navigate Florida Bar rules.

Name

Off The Record

Legal name

Off the Record, Inc.

Website

https://offtherecord.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Off The Record is a Seattle-based legal technology marketplace, founded in 2015, that connects drivers across all 50 U.S. states with a vetted network of 1,000+ traffic attorneys via a proprietary SmartMatch algorithm, offering per-case booking, subscriptions, and a 97% favorable-outcome rate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Attorney Transaction Fees: OTR charges attorneys a flat marketing and services fee for each case accepted through the platform. Attorneys set their own legal fees, which are paid directly by customers. OTR takes a percentage as a transaction/booking fee ($10 per case) plus the attorney pays a usage/marketing fee to OTR.
2. Fastlane Subscription: Annual subscription service providing unlimited traffic ticket coverage. Fastlane Teen offers free coverage for first ticket for teen drivers; Fastlane Membership provides coverage for multiple tickets per year. Subscription model with monthly or annual billing.
3. Referral Program: Customers can refer friends using a referral code. Referrer earns $10 per successful referral; referee receives $10 discount on their booking. This drives customer acquisition at low cost.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Off The Record operates an online legal technology marketplace that connects drivers who have received traffic citations with a nationwide network of more than 1,000 vetted local traffic attorneys. The platform uses a proprietary SmartMatch algorithm to match drivers with attorneys based on jurisdiction, charge type, and historical success rates, and provides a money-back guarantee on eligible cases. Customers can book via website or mobile app (iOS and Android), track their case in real time, and avoid court appearances, with all 50 states covered.

Product overview

Off The Record (OTR) is a legal technology marketplace platform built around its proprietary SmartMatch matching algorithm. The core platform connects drivers who receive traffic tickets with a nationwide network of over 1,000 vetted traffic attorneys using data-driven matching. OTR operates as an 'Uber for lawyers' model where independent attorneys handle legal representation while OTR provides the technology, case management, customer support, and the SmartMatch algorithm. The platform is available via web and mobile app (iOS/Android), and integrates Stripe for payment processing. The product portfolio includes the core marketplace, Fastlane Teen Protection Plan (free teen driver coverage), Fastlane Membership (unlimited subscription coverage), the attorney portal for law firm partners, and a referral program. A distinctive Money-Back Guarantee on eligible traffic ticket cases is backed by OTR's 97% success rate achieved through SmartMatch optimization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fastlane Teen Protection Plan: Annual subscription plan providing free traffic ticket coverage for teen drivers aged 16-19, with 25% discount for second tickets.
• Fastlane Membership
• OTR SmartMatch

Products and services

• Off The Record Traffic Ticket Defense Service Online marketplace service that matches individual drivers who have received a traffic ticket or moving violation with a vetted local traffic attorney and manages the case through resolution. Covers speeding, DUI/DWI, suspended license, reckless driving, CDL tickets, and traffic misdemeanors across all 50 states, with a money-back guarantee on eligible cases.
• Fastlane Teen Protection Plan

Quantifiable outcome

• 97% of cases result in favorable outcome (dismissed, reduced, deferred, or points reduced)
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LegalMatch: Online marketplace that matches consumers with attorneys across practice areas; comparable to OTR's core flow of routing cases to vetted lawyers, though LegalMatch operates across many legal categories rather than specializing in traffic.
• Avvo: Legal directory and Q&A platform (acquired by Internet Brands) that helps consumers find and review attorneys, including for traffic and DUI matters; overlaps with OTR's attorney discovery and matching model, though Avvo is broader and does not handle cases end-to-end.
• 1-800-ATTORNEY: Attorney referral network connecting consumers with local lawyers, including a dedicated traffic-ticket defense focus; mirrors OTR's traffic-ticket marketplace model with a phone-led intake rather than an app-first flow.

Broad incumbents

• LegalZoom: Large consumer legal services brand offering document preparation, registered agent services, and attorney matching across many practice areas; a broad incumbent in the consumer legal marketplace with scale and brand awareness that dwarfs OTR's traffic-specialized offering.
• Rocket Lawyer: Subscription-based consumer and SMB legal services platform offering documents, consultations, and attorney access; comparable subscription motion to OTR's Fastlane membership, though with a much broader legal product surface and established membership economics.

Emerging players

• Hire An Esquire: Online platform connecting consumers and small businesses with attorneys on-demand, including traffic-related matters; comparable marketplace model at smaller scale than OTR with broader practice-area coverage.
• UpCounsel: Legal marketplace (now part of Upwork) connecting businesses with vetted attorneys; comparable in online attorney matching philosophy though primarily business-side and higher-value matters rather than consumer traffic defense.

Others

• Justia: Legal information platform offering lawyer directories, free case law access, and marketing services to attorneys; adjacent to OTR through attorney discovery and SEO-driven traffic to legal queries, supporting the same consumer demand for legal help.
• Nolo: Long-standing publisher of do-it-yourself legal information, books, and forms that also routes consumers to attorneys; comparable as a top-of-funnel legal content and referral destination that competes for the same organic traffic-ticket queries OTR ranks for.
• MyImprov Traffic School: Online traffic school and defensive driving course provider that competes for the same post-ticket consumer; complementary rather than directly competitive to OTR (a court outcome path vs. a ticket dismissal via safe-driver school), but a closely adjacent traffic-ticketing brand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/offtherecordapp
• Xx.com/offtherecordapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/off-the-record-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Off The Record