- Registered process servers
- Court & records experts
- Offices statewide
- 65+ years in California
Direct Legal Support was founded in 1961 and is still owned and led by the Kern family. Our team leaders manage every service we offer, and many have spent decades in the legal support industry. Get to know the people who handle your work.
Meet Our Team Leaders
Michael Kern
Chief Executive Officer
Michael is a second-generation California process server. He joined the family business and became a registered process server in 1987, and he has worked in every part of litigation support since. In 2023 NAPPS gave him its highest honor, the Donald C. “Mac” MacDonald Award.
Sheri Kern
Chief Financial Officer
Sheri has more than 36 years in the legal support industry. As CFO for 24 years, she oversees financial analysis, accounting, and company operations.
David Kern
President and SVP of Operations
David joined the company in 2012, the third generation of the Kern family in the business. He oversees client requests, new accounts, and process serving.
Maria Oung
Lead Litigation Support Coordinator
Maria has been with Direct Legal Support for 18 years, since 2008. She runs the day-to-day operations of our process service department, from first client contact to status updates and dispatching assignments.
Joe Huber
Director of Business Operations
Joe has worked in records retrieval since 1984. He and his team handle records subpoenas for law firms and legal departments, from preparation through delivery of the records.
Jason Burke
Senior Litigation Support Manager
Jason brings decades of experience building and running process serving operations. He oversees field operations, client accounts, and process serving teams in Northern California, including the East Bay and South Bay.
Alcarlo Castanar
Senior Litigation Operations Strategist
Alcarlo has more than 25 years in the legal support industry and knows every part of the business, from process serving to court filings. He oversees our e-recording department.
Mike Garcia
Litigation Support Coordinator
Mike has been with Direct Legal since 2007, working his way up from route driver, and leads our e-filing coordinators.
Mikey Kern
Lead Litigation Support Coordinator
Mikey has been with Direct Legal Support for 10 years, since 2016. He oversees our writ and levy department.
Michael Barretto
Litigation Support and Brand Engagement Manager
Michael brings more than 20 years of legal industry experience in business development, operational strategy, and growth.
Who Oversees Each Service
Our leaders are close to the work. Here is who oversees each service:
- Process serving. Maria Oung manages our process service department, with Jason Burke leading Northern California. Process serving
- Court filing and e-filing. Mike Garcia oversees the court department and e-filing. California e-filing
- Records retrieval. Joe Huber leads records retrieval and subpoena services. Records retrieval
- E-recording. Alcarlo Castanar oversees our e-recording department. E-recording
- Writ. Mikey Kern oversees the writ and levy department. writs@directlegal.com
- New accounts. Michael Barretto and David Kern work with new clients and accounts. Contact us
Talk to Our Team
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