Docketly
Docketly is a two-sided online marketplace connecting U.S. law firms with a network of 10,000+ vetted appearance attorneys for procedural court hearing coverage, primarily serving creditors' rights and collection firms via per-hearing transaction fees and superbundle volume discounts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLongmont, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Docketly does
Docketly, operating legally as Local Counsel, LLC, is a two-sided online marketplace that connects U.S. law firms with a vetted nationwide network of more than 10,000 licensed appearance attorneys for court hearing coverage. Founded in 2010 in Indiana as Local Counsel Collective and rebranded to Docketly following a November 2017 acquisition by ABC Legal, the company is headquartered at 1960 Ken Pratt Blvd Ste D in Longmont, Colorado. Its proprietary cloud-based platform powers matchmaking for procedural hearings such as docket calls, status hearings, and motions for default judgment, primarily serving high-volume collection and creditors' rights law firms, with adjacent traffic and immigration law firm segments; the matching is delivered through a web interface and a custom mobile app used by appearance attorneys to accept assignments, submit reports, scan documents, and conduct virtual hearings via integrated Zoom links.
The firm monetizes on a per-hearing transaction-fee basis. Law firms pay a booking fee for each assigned hearing; Docketly collects from the firm and compensates the covering attorney separately without taking a percentage of attorney compensation, retaining a brokerage margin. Pricing is segmented into standard per-hearing rates, superbundle volume discounts that aggregate hearings across firms at the same place and time, telephonic hearing services priced at roughly half of in-person rates, plus short-notice ($20) and cancellation surcharges. Underlying product surface area includes a calendaring solution, an EDI integration for bulk appearance requests, integrations with Clio and Vertican's Q-LawE case management platforms, an attorney community platform, and SOC 2 Type I/II certified infrastructure that has been consecutively renewed for six years (first obtained December 2018). NCBA Subcontractor Oversight Assessment Certification (July 2021) and Inc. 5000 recognition (2017, #204) further anchor its compliance and credibility posture in the creditors' bar vertical.
Go-to-market combines self-service web sign-up, scheduled enterprise demos, and active participation at National Creditors Bar Association events. Distribution is reinforced by case-management partner channels (Clio, Vertican) and a managed mobile experience for attorney supply. Docketly has raised no outside venture capital or private equity and operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of ABC Legal, whose resources (50-state process-service footprint, 77-country service of process, U.S. Department of Justice relationship) provide operating leverage. Public revenue is undisclosed; inferred scale and trajectory are addressed in the revenue and growth sections.
Docketly firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Docketly
- Legal name
- Local Counsel, LLC
- Website
- https://docketly.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Docketly is a two-sided online marketplace connecting U.S. law firms with a network of 10,000+ vetted appearance attorneys for procedural court hearing coverage, primarily serving creditors' rights and collection firms via per-hearing transaction fees and superbundle volume discounts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Docketly industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Legal Services Marketplace
- NAICS
- Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (54111)
- SIC
- Services-Legal Services (8111)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Judicial Courts & Court Administration (BPAIAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Court Services & Operations (Clerks, Records, Jury, Interpreters) (BPAIAFAH)
Keywords
Where Docketly is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Longmont
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Docketly business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Appearance Counsel Booking Fees: Law firms pay booking/transaction fees for each hearing assignment. The fee is itemized and includes the booking cost for use of Docketly's services plus compensation to the covering attorney for legal services. Docketly does not fee-split or take a portion of the attorney compensation.
- Per Diem Attorney Services: Attorneys are compensated per hearing appearance. Docketly acts as intermediary, collecting from law firms and paying attorneys, taking a brokerage fee.
- Superbundle Pricing: Volume-based pricing model where hearings at the same location and time across multiple law firms are bundled together, passing savings to clients. Low-volume clients receive volume discounts without owning the docket.
- Telephonic Hearing Services: Virtual court appearance services offered at 50% lower price than in-person appearances
- Short Notice Surcharges: $20.00 USD surcharge for hearings posted with less than 24 clock hours notice
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Per Hearing - Standard Rate |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Superbundle - Volume Discount |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Telephonic Appearance - Reduced Rate |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Short Notice - Surcharge |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cancellation Fee |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Docketly product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Docketly operates a cloud-based proprietary platform that connects law firms with a nationwide network of 10,000+ vetted appearance attorneys for court hearing coverage. The platform enables law firms to schedule licensed attorneys to cover procedural court appearances such as docket calls, status hearings, and motions for default judgment across jurisdictions. Attorneys use the platform to find and accept appearance assignments on their own schedule, with payments processed by Docketly as intermediary.
Product overview
Docketly offers a unified appearance counsel platform consisting of a core digital marketplace connecting law firms with over 10,000 licensed appearance attorneys nationwide. The platform includes a mobile app for attorneys, calendaring tools, EDI for bulk hearing requests, superbundles for volume pricing, telephonic hearing capabilities, and a community platform for attorney networking. Clio and Vertican Q-LawE integrations enable seamless case management workflows.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Docketly Appearance Counsel Platform Digital platform connecting law firms with a nationwide network of 10,000+ vetted appearance attorneys for court hearing coverage. Enables law firms to schedule licensed attorneys to cover procedural court appearances across jurisdictions.
- Docketly Mobile App Mobile application (iOS/Android) enabling appearance attorneys to view, accept, and manage hearing assignments on-the-go, submit reports, scan documents, and communicate with Docketly staff.
- Docketly Community Platform Online community platform for attorneys to join state groups, participate in topic discussions, network with peers, and provide feedback on product improvements.
- ABC+D Solution
Quantifiable outcome
- 98.2% positive outcome rate for client appearances
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Docketly
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Docketly technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature10 records
Docketly partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CliocoreIntegration with Clio case management software enables appearance counsel workflow within Clio platform. Docketly attended Clio Cloud Conference to announce the partnership.
- Innovate LongmontminorDocketly partnered with Innovate Longmont, a 501(c)(3) startup ecosystem organization, to sponsor Bricks Retail. Docketly is active in the local startup community with sponsorships at Longmont Startup Week and Demo Day 2020.
- VerticancoreIntegration partnership connecting Vertican's Q-LawE case management software with Docketly's appearance counsel network. Allows law firms to request coverage directly from Q-LawE with seamless data flow. Announced at vCon 2019 conference in Las Vegas.
- ABC LegalcoreABC Legal (Seattle, Washington), a technology leader in court filing and service of process, acquired Local Counsel Collective to form Docketly. The partnership leverages ABC Legal's resources to propel Docketly's expansion and enhance service value. ABC Legal is the official process server to the U.S. Department of Justice and operates in all 50 states and 77 countries.
- CourtCallminorThird-party telephonic appearance service used by some courts. Docketly telephonic appearance pricing is attorney fee only and does not include CourtCall service fees. Not affiliated with Docketly.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Docketly competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Special Counsel: Special Counsel is a major legal staffing and document review provider placing attorneys and paralegals at law firms and corporate legal departments. It is directly comparable to Docketly's model of brokering attorney services for law firm clients, particularly in the contract/temp attorney segment.
- Hire An Esquire: Hire An Esquire operates an online marketplace connecting law firms and legal departments with freelance attorneys for project-based and short-term work. Directly comparable to Docketly's model of brokering independent attorneys to law firms through a digital platform.
- Axiom Law: Axiom is a leading legal talent marketplace that connects Fortune 1000 legal departments with vetted attorneys and legal professionals on a flexible basis. It is directly comparable to Docketly as a two-sided platform for sourcing contract legal talent, though at the in-house counsel enterprise layer rather than court appearances.
- Vertican Technologies: Vertican provides specialized case management software (Q-LawE) for creditors' rights and collection law firms, with a native integration to Docketly for appearance counsel booking. Directly comparable as a software provider embedded in the same collection law firm workflow that Docketly serves.
- Beacon Hill Staffing Group - Legal Division: Beacon Hill's Legal Division provides temporary, temp-to-perm, and direct-hire placement of attorneys and legal professionals to law firms and corporate legal departments. Comparable to Docketly as a legal staffing services provider serving law firm clients with flexible attorney engagement models.
Broad incumbents
- Clio: Clio is a leading cloud-based legal practice management platform serving law firms with case management, billing, and client intake tools. Comparable to Docketly as a legal-tech platform serving similar law firm customers and via a formal integration partnership that embeds Docketly inside Clio's workflow.
- Robert Half Legal: Robert Half Legal is the legal staffing arm of the large Robert Half staffing conglomerate, placing attorneys, paralegals, and legal support staff across a range of practice areas. Comparable to Docketly as a broad legal-talent placement provider, though operating at much larger scale across multiple legal roles.
Others
- ABC Legal: ABC Legal is the parent company of Docketly and a leading national provider of process serving and court filing services. Directly related as Docketly's parent, providing strategic distribution leverage and operational backing across all 50 states.
- PracticePanther: PracticePanther is a cloud-based legal practice management platform serving small and mid-sized law firms. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant that law firms use alongside Docketly for case management, with potential integration or competitive overlap.
Emerging players
- LawTrades: LawTrades is an online marketplace connecting businesses with attorneys for legal services on demand. Comparable to Docketly as a digital platform matching law firms with freelance lawyers, though focused more on transactional legal work than court appearances.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Docketly social profiles
Digital presenceDocketly compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Docketly financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Docketly leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Docketly funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Docketly M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Docketly
What does Docketly do?
Docketly operates a cloud-based proprietary platform that connects law firms with a nationwide network of 10,000+ vetted appearance attorneys for court hearing coverage. The platform enables law firms to schedule licensed attorneys to cover procedural court appearances such as docket calls, status hearings, and motions for default judgment across jurisdictions. Attorneys use the platform to find and accept appearance assignments on their own schedule, with payments processed by Docketly as intermediary.
Is Docketly a public or private company?
Docketly is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Docketly founded?
Docketly was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Docketly based?
Docketly is headquartered in Longmont, United States, in the North America region.
How does Docketly make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Appearance Counsel Booking Fees are the primary driver. The others are per Diem Attorney Services, superbundle Pricing, telephonic Hearing Services and short Notice Surcharges.
Who are Docketly's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Special Counsel, Hire An Esquire, Axiom Law, Vertican Technologies and Beacon Hill Staffing Group - Legal Division. Broad incumbents are Clio and Robert Half Legal. Others are ABC Legal and PracticePanther. LawTrades is listed as an emerging player.
Does Docketly have an API?
No public API is recorded for Docketly.
What industry is Docketly in?
Docketly's product category is Legal Services Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIAFAA, Judicial Courts & Court Administration, with a secondary code of BPAIAFAH, Court Services & Operations (Clerks, Records, Jury, Interpreters). Its NAICS code is 5411 and its SIC code is 8111.