Freestate Investigations

What Freestate Investigations does

Freestate Investigations, LLC is a Maryland-based licensed process serving and legal support agency founded in 2007 (with a separate "Licensed Since 2005" reference on the locations page) by CEO Paul Koch and headquartered in Beltsville, MD. The company serves law firms, solo practitioners, judgment creditors, businesses, and pro se individuals across Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia, and coordinates nationwide service through NAPPS and MAAPPS professional network partners. Over 19+ years of operation it has served 17,000+ documents/cases for 3,000+ companies and law firms, with revenue generated primarily through flat per-service transaction fees ranging from $40 (certified mailing) to $379 (foreign subpoena domestication), supplemented by hourly professional services rates ($75 virtual / $150 in-person for court appearances) and a small recurring component from skip trace subscriptions and DC registered agent services. The company also acquired Baltimore-based RCI Process in 2022 to deepen its Baltimore market position and retain a specialized timeshare/vacation-ownership practice.

The operational backbone is a ServeManager-powered client portal that delivers GPS-tracked and time-stamped service attempts, real-time case status updates, mobile application-based GPS-tagged photography for field documentation, and body-worn camera recordings where legally permitted — together producing court-admissible records for every attempt. Stripe handles payment processing, and the Freestate Investigations brand is a registered trademark/service mark. The company maintains 15+ office locations across the DMV region, holds memberships in six process-server and investigative industry associations, and carries 42 verified five-star reviews across Yelp (13) and Google (29). Go-to-market blends direct enterprise sales to law firms via phone and website ordering, self-service ordering for individuals, and content marketing through blog and association channels, with no disclosed external funding or institutional investors.

Name

Freestate Investigations

Legal name

Freestate Investigations, LLC

Website

https://freestateinvestigations.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Freestate Investigations is a Maryland-based licensed process serving and legal support agency serving law firms, judgment creditors, businesses, and individuals across Maryland, DC, Virginia, and nationwide via GPS-tracked service attempts, affidavits, private investigations, and skip tracing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Support Services (Process Serving & Investigation)

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Investigation and Security Services (5616), Other Legal Services (54119)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Civil Investigations (Witness/Asset/Skip Tracing) (BPAKAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic/Family & Matrimonial Investigations (BPAKAEAG), Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG), Skip Tracing & Locate Services (Address/Phone/Employer Discovery) (BPAAAEAF)

Keywords

• Process serving services
• Legal support services
• Private investigation services
• Asset search services
• Certified mail services

Headquarters

HQ city

Beltsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Process Serving Services: Per-service transaction fees for process serving at various urgency levels (Routine, 2-Day Rush, Same-Day Rush, On-Demand). Flat fees per address/person with included attempts and affidavit.
2. Foreign Subpoena Service: Flat fee of $379 covering the entire domestication and service process including the $165 Maryland court filing fee, rush service, and affidavit filing.
3. Certified Mail Service: Flat-rate certified mailing service: $50 full service (includes affidavit filing) or $40 mailing only, for Maryland, DC, and Virginia recipients.
4. Asset Search Services: Nationwide asset investigations for judgment creditors requiring a signed court judgment. Results delivered in approximately 30 business days.
5. Private Investigation Services: Billed investigation services including surveillance, background checks, infidelity investigations, missing person searches, and insurance fraud detection.
6. Document Retrieval Services: In-person court record and legal document retrieval from Maryland, DC, and Virginia courthouses and government agencies. Court printing fees passed through at cost.
7. Skip Trace Subscription Plans: Database access and investigative tools to locate individuals for service of process, debt collection, or legal proceedings, available through subscription plans.
8. Registered Agent Services: DC registered agent services for businesses requiring a physical presence to receive legal documents and official state correspondence.
9. Court Appearance Fees: Billed at $75/hour virtual (1-hour minimum) or $150/hour in-person in MD, DC, and Northern VA (3-hour minimum portal-to-portal).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Freestate Investigations provides process serving and legal support services for attorneys, law firms, judgment creditors, businesses, and individuals across Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, and nationwide through an affiliate network. Its portfolio includes process service, private investigation, foreign subpoena service, document retrieval, asset search, certified mailing, skip tracing (subscription and one-off), motion for alternative service, judiciary process serving, registered agent service, and court appearance representation. All field work is supported by the ServeManager.com portal, GPS tracking, body-worn cameras, and standardized photo-documented proof of service.

Product overview

Freestate Investigations is a licensed legal support agency offering a comprehensive suite of process serving and private investigation services. The core product is Process Services (with four service tiers: Routine, 2-Day Rush, Same Day Rush, and On-Demand), supplemented by Private Investigation Services covering surveillance, fraud investigations, background checks, and missing persons. Additional service modules include Foreign Subpoena Service for out-of-state discovery, Document Retrieval, Asset Search Services, Certified Mailing, Skip Trace Subscription, Motion for Alternative Service, Judiciary Process Servers, and Registered Agent Services. The company also operates the acquired brand RCI Process Servers (specializing in timeshare and vacation ownership matters) and uses ServeManager.com as its client portal and case management platform, with a companion mobile application for field operations. Operations are primarily concentrated in Maryland, DC, and Virginia with nationwide coverage through professional network affiliations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Process Service (Routine, 2-Day Rush, Same-Day Rush, On-Demand) End-to-end service of legal documents, complaints, summonses, subpoenas, and court orders to individuals or businesses in Maryland, D.C., Virginia, and all 50 states through a vetted affiliate network, with GPS-tracked, photo-documented proof of service and live status via ServeManager.com; offered at $130 routine ($95 attorney), $200 2-day rush, $300 same-day rush, and $400 on-demand after-hours.
• Private Investigation Services Private investigative services billed at $135 per hour with a three-hour minimum, supporting clients with discrete fact-finding, witness location, and other case-related inquiries.
• Foreign Subpoena Service Service of out-of-state (foreign) subpoenas for legal proceedings originating in another U.S. jurisdiction, enabling clients to comply with interstate subpoena rules without coordinating with a separate vendor.
• Document Retrieval Services Retrieval of public, court, and agency records needed to support litigation and compliance work for attorneys, judgment creditors, and businesses in Maryland, D.C., Virginia, and beyond.
• Certified Mailing Services Certified mailing of legal notices and correspondence producing verifiable proof-of-mailing documentation for court, regulatory, and contractual purposes.
• Asset Search Services Investigative asset searches identifying real, personal, and financial holdings of individuals or businesses to support post-judgment enforcement, due diligence, and recovery actions.
• Skip Trace Subscription Plans Skip tracing product offered as a one-off lookup or as a subscription plan with 1-week, 30-day, 90-day, and recurring monthly terms to locate individuals for service of process, debt collection, and judgment enforcement.
• Motion for Alternative Service Preparation and filing of motions for alternative service when standard service of process cannot be completed, allowing cases to proceed through substitute service methods.
• Judiciary Process Servers Specialized, certified process serving performed by in-house judiciary-trained servers under direct owner supervision for courts and litigants that require authoritative, court-recognized process servers.
• Registered Agent Service Statutory registered agent service for businesses requiring a registered office in Maryland, D.C., Virginia, or other affiliated jurisdictions, including receipt and forwarding of service of process and official correspondence.
• Court Appearance / Attorney Representation Services Court appearance representation available at $135 per hour (three-hour minimum) for matters where an attorney or representative must physically appear on a client's behalf at a scheduled hearing.
• RCI Process (Acquired Brand) Process serving service operated under the RCI Process brand, acquired by Freestate Investigations in 2022 to extend its Mid-Atlantic coverage; services are marketed in tandem with Freestate's core process serving offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19+ years in business serving Maryland, DC, and Virginia
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Professional Process Servers (NAPPS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFreestate Investigations is a verified member of NAPPS, enabling coordination of process serving across all 50 states through a vetted network of process servers. This membership provides the nationwide coverage capability that extends their regional service to a national offering.
• Mid-Atlantic Association of Professional Process Servers (MAAPPS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFreestate Investigations holds active membership in MAAPPS, providing access to a regional network of professional process servers in the Mid-Atlantic area and credibility within the local legal community.
• ServeManagercoreTechnology or IntegrationServeManager provides the technology platform powering Freestate Investigations' client portal, order management, GPS tracking, real-time status updates, and mobile application for field documentation. This is their primary operational technology infrastructure.
• RCI Process ServerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRCI Process Servers, founded in 2004 to serve the Baltimore legal community, joined Freestate Investigations. The acquisition brought RCI's deep roots in the Baltimore market together with Freestate's broader infrastructure and technology platform.
• New York State Process Servers Association (NYSPPSA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional membership organization providing networking and credibility within the New York process serving community.
• California Association of Legal Support Professionals (CALSPro)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional membership organization for legal support professionals in California.
• Maryland Investigative Support Association (MISA)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional membership organization for investigative professionals in Maryland.
• Florida Association of Professional Process Servers (FAPPS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProfessional membership organization for process servers in Florida.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• ABC Legal Services: ABC Legal is one of the largest U.S. process serving companies, offering nationwide service of process with an online portal and similar rush-tier pricing. It is the most directly comparable competitor to Freestate, operating at significantly larger scale across all 50 states.
• ServeNow: ServeNow is a nationwide directory and process serving platform that connects clients to local process servers. Freestate is a verified member of Serve-now.com, making it both a channel partner and a direct competitor within the platform's aggregated marketplace.
• Beacon Investigative Solutions: Beacon is a regional Mid-Atlantic private investigation and process serving firm offering surveillance, background checks, and skip tracing. It is directly comparable to Freestate's private investigation and skip tracing service lines within the same DMV geography.
• Mighty Process Server: Mighty Process Server is a regional Mid-Atlantic process serving competitor offering similar flat-rate rush and same-day service tiers. Freestate holds a verified 'Money Back Guarantee' listing on the platform, indicating direct competition in the same Mid-Atlantic geography.

Broad incumbents

• Proofpoint (process serving division): Proofpoint historically operated a legal support and process serving business serving large enterprise legal departments with nationwide coverage. As a broader legal services incumbent, it represents the type of larger, well-capitalized competitor Freestate would face when bidding for enterprise contracts.
• Naegeli Deposition & Trial Services: Naegeli is a larger legal support services firm offering court reporting, record retrieval, and process serving nationwide. It competes with Freestate on document retrieval and broader litigation support services, with greater scale and a longer enterprise track record.

Emerging players

• Sterling Talent Solutions: Sterling provides background check and pre-employment screening services to enterprise customers, overlapping with Freestate's private investigation and background check offerings. It operates at significantly larger scale and competes for similar legal department and corporate compliance budgets.
• Hetherington Group: Hetherington Group is a national investigative and due diligence firm specializing in skip tracing, asset searches, and background investigations for the legal industry. It competes directly with Freestate's asset search and skip tracing offerings at a larger national scale.

Others

• United States Process Servers Association (USPSA): USPSA is a national industry association for process servers, providing networking, certification, and directory listings. While not a direct competitor, USPSA membership is a key channel and credibility lever in the same way NAPPS/MAAPPS membership is for Freestate.

Regional players

• Atlas Process Servers: Atlas Process Servers is a regional process serving firm operating in select U.S. states. It is comparable to Freestate in service model (transactional process serving with rush tiers) but competes in different geographies rather than directly head-to-head in the Mid-Atlantic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fsitwit
• Facebookfacebook.com/freestateinvestigations
• Instagraminstagram.com/freestateinvestigations
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freestate-investigations

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Freestate Investigations