- Registered & bonded
- Offices statewide
- Online ordering & tracking
- 65+ years in California
Direct Legal Support, Inc. provides litigation support to law firms, corporate legal departments, insurance companies, businesses, and individuals throughout California and nationwide. We serve legal papers, file with the courts, e-file, retrieve records and documents, record with county recorders, enforce judgments, and locate hard-to-find people, all from one company that has been doing this work since 1961.
Our Story
California
business
the Kern family
Dave Kern started Dave Kern Attorney Service in 1961 with a simple philosophy: not to be the biggest attorney service in California, but the best. His son Michael grew up in the business, setting up court filings, riding along with route drivers, and learning to serve papers correctly. Michael joined full time and became a registered process server in 1987, and he leads the company today as CEO.
Dave Kern Attorney Service grew into Direct Legal Support, Inc., a full-service litigation support company. Michael's son David joined in 2012, and today he serves as President. Three generations later, Direct Legal is still family-owned and still focused on doing the work right.
Michael KernChief Executive Officer
Sheri KernChief Financial Officer
David KernPresident and SVP of Operations
Meet our team leaders.
What We Do
Everything a litigation team needs to move a case forward, from the first summons to collecting the judgment:
- Process servingRegistered, bonded service of process throughout California and nationwide.
- Court filingIn-person filing at superior, appellate, federal, and bankruptcy courts throughout California.
- California e-filingStatewide electronic filing for civil, family law, probate, and more.
- Courtesy copy deliveryJudge's copies printed, assembled, and delivered to the department.
- Court document retrievalCopies of filed documents and case files from any California courthouse.
- Records retrieval by subpoenaMedical, employment, and business records by subpoena, with deposition officer services.
- E-recordingDeeds, liens, abstracts of judgment, and other documents recorded with California counties.
- Writ leviesWage garnishments, bank levies, and other judgment enforcement through the Sheriff.
- Skip tracingCurrent addresses for defendants, witnesses, and debtors, for law firms and legal departments.
- Out-of-state subpoenasForeign subpoenas domesticated in a California court and California subpoenas to be domesticated in other states.
- Secretary of State filingsFormations, Statements of Information, certificates of status, and certified copies.
Leaders in the Legal Support Industry
Direct Legal Support is a member of the California Association of Legal Support Professionals (CALSPro) and the National Association of Professional Process Servers (NAPPS), and is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating.
- CALSPro. Michael Kern has been a CALSPro member since 1994 and served on its board for more than 15 years, including as President. CALSPro trains and certifies process servers, works on legislation, and works with the Judicial Council on court rules and forms.
- NAPPS. Michael has been a NAPPS member since 1997 and served on its Board of Directors, including as President from 2017 to 2019. In 2023 NAPPS gave him its highest honor, the Donald C. “Mac” MacDonald Award.
- Continuing education. Our managers have as many as 50 years in the industry, and we follow changes in California service and filing rules so your papers are handled correctly.
Our Process Servers
Your papers are served by experienced professionals who follow California law:
- Registered and bonded. Our process servers are registered and bonded as required by California Business and Professions Code section 22350.
- Experienced. Our process servers have from 10 to as many as 50 years of experience.
- Insured. Direct Legal Support is fully insured, above the minimum most firms require. Proof of insurance is available on request.
- By the rules. Every assignment follows the California Rules of Court and state and local law.
Order, Track, and Pay Online
Our secure online client portal lets you manage your work any time:
- Order online 24/7. Place orders and upload documents at any hour.
- Track every assignment. Check the status of service attempts, filings, and retrievals as they happen.
- Get your documents. Download proofs of service, conformed copies, and retrieved documents.
- Manage billing. View and pay invoices, search past orders, and run cost reports by reference number.
New to the portal? Watch our video tutorials.
Our California Offices
Our runners and registered process servers work out of offices throughout California, and we serve papers in all 50 states through our nationwide network.
Los Angeles (Headquarters)
1200 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 408
Los Angeles, CA 90017Corporate Office
901 Corporate Center Dr., Ste. 400
Monterey Park, CA 91754Orange County
1522 Brookhollow Drive, Suite 3
Santa Ana, CA 92705San Diego County
1550 Hotel Circle North, Suite 440
San Diego, CA 92108Riverside County
1717 E. Vista Chino, Suite A7-610
Palm Springs, CA 92262Kern County
5080 California Avenue, Suite 425
Bakersfield, CA 93309Santa Clara County
1346 The Alameda, Suite 7-79
San Jose, CA 95125Alameda County
39159 Paseo Padre Pkwy. #112
Fremont, CA 94538
Why Law Firms Choose Direct Legal
Since 1961
More than 65 years of process serving and litigation support in California.
Registered and Bonded
Experienced process servers who follow California law.
Statewide Coverage
Offices across California and service in all 50 states.
Online Ordering
Order, track, and pay online, any time.
Fast Turnaround
Same-day and On Demand options for urgent deadlines.
One Company
Service, filing, records, and judgment enforcement under one roof.
About Direct Legal Support
When was Direct Legal Support founded?
In 1961, when Dave Kern started Dave Kern Attorney Service. The company is now Direct Legal Support, Inc. and is still owned and led by the Kern family.
Who leads Direct Legal Support?
Michael Kern, a second-generation process server who joined the business in 1987, is CEO. He leads the company with CFO Sheri Kern and President David Kern, the third generation of the Kern family in the business.
Where are your offices?
Our headquarters is in downtown Los Angeles, with a corporate office in Monterey Park and offices in Santa Ana, San Diego, Palm Springs, Bakersfield, San Jose, and Fremont.
What areas do you serve?
We serve all 58 California counties, and we serve legal papers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Are your process servers registered and bonded?
Yes. Our process servers are registered and bonded as required by California Business and Professions Code section 22350, and the company is fully insured.
What associations is Direct Legal a member of?
Direct Legal Support is a member of the California Association of Legal Support Professionals (CALSPro) and the National Association of Professional Process Servers (NAPPS), and is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating.
Work With Direct Legal
Create a free account and submit your order in a few minutes. There are no setup fees. If you have a question first, call us or send a message.
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