QDRO Group

What QDRO Group does

QDRO Group, LLC is a privately held professional services firm founded in 1985 and headquartered in Avon Lake, Ohio, specializing in the valuation and division of retirement assets in divorce proceedings. The firm serves domestic relations and family law attorneys across the United States, providing QDRO drafting, present value calculations for defined benefit pensions, 401(k) tracing, passive growth analysis, hourly consulting, and expert witness testimony. Its technical foundation rests on deep expertise in ERISA regulations, pension valuation methodologies, and Social Security offset calculations, supported by proprietary approaches including a Mid-Period Proportional Method for passive growth analysis and present value calculations that mirror Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) methodology.

The business operates as a B2B professional services firm with a sales-led go-to-market motion: attorneys initiate engagements by submitting completed request forms with documentation and prepayment through an online ordering portal, and the firm commits to a 12-business-hour inquiry response time and 5-10 business day standard drafting turnaround. Core revenue streams include one-time QDRO drafting fees (varying by plan type — defined benefit, defined contribution, military, federal, and Ohio state plans), present value report fees, $400/hour consulting engagements, and expert witness testimony billed per case. A 2026 fee schedule restructure eliminated multi-order discounts and adjusted per-case pricing, and an improved ordering portal is planned for Q2 2026 launch.

The firm is independently owned by founder David Kelley, who has 35 years of experience, over 1,500 court testimonies, and co-authored three editions of the Wolters Kluwer publication "Dividing Pensions in Divorce." James R. Myers, Jr., Esq. serves as President and Staff Attorney. Operations are organized under sub-brands including Pension Evaluators (valuation), QDRO Consultants (drafting), and Kelley, Shulman & Co., LLC. The company shows no evidence of venture capital, private equity, or institutional investor involvement, and operates without subsidiaries or disclosed M&A activity.

Name

QDRO Group

Legal name

QDRO Group, LLC

Website

https://qdrogroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

QDRO Group, founded in 1985 and based in Avon Lake, Ohio, provides domestic relations attorneys nationwide with QDRO drafting, pension valuation, 401(k) tracing, expert testimony, and consulting to divide retirement assets in divorce proceedings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal and Financial Services for Divorce Retirement Asset Division

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Trust, Fiduciary, and Custody Activities (523991)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal Trust & Fiduciary Administration (FSAEAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trust & Estate Dispute Resolution & Fiduciary Litigation Support (FSAEAKAJ), Trust Administration & Fiduciary Accounting Services (FSAAANAF)

Keywords

• QDRO drafting services
• Pension valuation
• Retirement asset division
• Expert witness testimony
• Domestic relations consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Avon Lake

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. QDRO Drafting Services: Drafting of Qualified Domestic Relations Orders for various plan types including defined benefit, defined contribution, military, federal, and Ohio state pension plans. Fees vary by plan type and are prepaid.
2. Valuation Services: Present value calculations for defined benefit pension plans, providing current value of future pension payments discounted for mortality and interest.
3. Consulting Services: Hourly consulting at $400/hour for specific and detailed information regarding retirement plans in divorce cases. Includes conference calls or in-person meetings with attorneys and optionally their clients.
4. Passive Growth Analysis: Tracing account balances to determine growth on separate property vs. marital property in defined contribution plans, requiring analysis of quarterly statements.
5. 401(k) Tracing Services: Tracing pre-marital and post-divorce contributions to exclude from marital property division.
6. Plan Pre-Approval Services: Optional service to send QDRO to plan administrator for pre-approval prior to court filing, available for an additional fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

QDRO Group provides professional services for domestic relations attorneys to value and divide retirement assets in divorce proceedings. Core offerings include Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO) drafting, actuarial present value reports using PBGC methodology, expert witness testimony, 401(k) tracing, passive growth analysis, and hourly consulting on retirement plan provisions.

Product overview

QDRO Group provides a suite of professional services for domestic relations attorneys to value and divide retirement assets in divorce. The core offerings include QDRO Drafting Services, Present Value Reports using PBGC methodology, Expert Testimony with over 1,700 court appearances, 401(k) Tracing, Passive Growth Analysis, and Consulting Services. Supporting offerings include Model Separation Agreement Language templates, a Fee Calculator, and downloadable Authorization Forms. The company also operates a Client Portal for ordering, status tracking, payments, and direct messaging, with an improved version planned for Q2 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pension Evaluators: Pension valuation division under QDRO Group umbrella
• QDRO Consultants
• Kelley, Shulman & Co., LLC

Products and services

• QDRO Drafting Services
• Present Value Reports
• Expert Testimony
• 401(k) Tracing
• Passive Growth Analysis
• Consulting Services
• Improved Ordering Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• Expert witnesses have prevailed in over 1,700 court appearances
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• JJS Pension Services: An independent firm offering QDRO preparation, pension valuations, and expert witness testimony to family law attorneys in a similar niche to QDRO Group. Comparable through shared target customer, similar plan-type coverage, and equivalent professional-services delivery model.
• Bezdek & Associates: A small professional firm focused on QDRO drafting and pension valuations for family law attorneys, offering nearly identical services (drafting, present value, consulting) to domestic relations practitioners nationwide. It is the closest like-for-like competitor to QDRO Group's core service line.

Broad incumbents

• Aon: A global professional services firm whose Retirement Solutions practice offers pension valuations, actuarial services, and benefits administration. Aon overlaps with QDRO Group in providing large-scale defined benefit valuations and serves as a foil for the largest, most complex marital divisions.
• Milliman: A large global actuarial and consulting firm whose retirement practice provides pension valuations, QDRO consulting, and expert testimony as part of a much broader benefits and risk offering. While not niche to family law, Milliman competes for higher-value plan valuation and expert testimony engagements that QDRO Group also serves.
• Mercer: A global consulting leader whose wealth and benefits practices deliver retirement plan valuations and related advisory services to plan sponsors and participants. Mercer is comparable through overlapping pension valuation expertise and access to complex plan cases QDRO Group also handles.
• Segal Group: An independent benefits and HR consulting firm with deep retirement and pension valuation capabilities serving plan sponsors and participants. Comparable through actuarial expertise and presence in defined benefit plan valuations that occasionally intersect with marital divisions.

Emerging players

• Pension Analysis Team (Bogart Wealth): A specialized team providing pension and retirement plan analysis for divorce cases, integrated into a broader wealth advisory practice. Comparable on pension valuation methodologies and divorce-focused use cases, while differing by bundling into a wealth management offering rather than pure-play QDRO services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/QDROGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qdrogroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 QDRO Group