California Records Retrieval and Subpoena Services
We prepare and serve records subpoenas, act as deposition officer, follow up with custodians, and deliver medical, employment, and business records to your firm through our secure portal.
Joe Huber’s records retrieval workstation
- Medical, employment & business records
- Registered & bonded photocopier
- State & federal subpoenas
- Led by Joe Huber, 42 years
Direct Legal Support's Records Retrieval Division works for law firms and legal departments on cases in California State Court and Federal Court, with custodians from hospitals and physicians to employers, banks, and insurers. Joe Huber, who has worked in records retrieval since 1984, leads the team, and California State Court subpoenas are his specialty. Questions? Call the Records Division at (213) 484-9000 or email rrorders@directlegal.com.
Records Retrieval by Subpoena, Start to Finish
Subpoena Preparation
California records subpoenas on Judicial Council form SUBP-010, and federal subpoenas on form AO 88B, for State Court and Federal Court cases.
Required Notices
The Notice to Consumer or Employee (form SUBP-025) when personal or employment records are requested, or the Notice of Intent.
Service on the Custodian
The subpoena is served on the custodian of records, once the required notice timelines have passed, with proof of service.
Deposition Officer
Custodians deliver the records to us as deposition officer, a role California law gives to registered professional photocopiers.
Follow-Up
We stay in touch with the facility and tell you right away about objections, delays, or missing required information.
Secure Delivery
Records arrive as PDF or ZIP files through our secure portal, with OCR and Bates numbers on request.
Have a signed HIPAA authorization from the patient, or a signed authorization from the employee? We can request the records with it instead of a subpoena. Need records from another state, or a California subpoena for an out-of-state case? See our out-of-state subpoena service. Law firms on the Westside: see records retrieval for Beverly Hills.
Records We Subpoena Most Often
- Hospital and physician medical records
- Medical billing records
- X-rays and radiology images
- Pharmacy records
- Employment and payroll records
- Bank and financial records
- Insurance claim files
- School and academic records
- Corporate and business records
Medical, employment, and financial records make up most of our work. Phone company records are different: a subpoena for a customer’s records from a telephone utility is valid only with the customer’s signed consent (CCP § 1985.3(f)).
How Records Retrieval Works
Send Us the Order
Email rrorders@directlegal.com and we will enter your order. Include the case, the custodian, the records you need, and your deadline.
We Prepare the Subpoena and Notices
We prepare the subpoena and the Notice to Consumer or Employee, and set the notice and production dates.
We Serve the Custodian
The subpoena is served on the custodian of records once the notice timing allows.
We Follow Up With the Facility
We stay in touch with the custodian and let you know about objections, delays, or missing required information.
We Receive and Process the Records
As deposition officer, we receive the records with the custodian’s declaration, scan them, and add OCR or Bates numbers if requested in your order.
You Download the Records
Your records are delivered as PDF or ZIP files through our secure portal, with the custodian’s declaration and proof of service.
Start an Order or call (800) 675-5376
Deposition Officer and Registered Professional Photocopier
When a deposition subpoena requests only business records, the custodian delivers a copy of the records, with the custodian’s declaration, to the deposition officer named on the subpoena. The custodian may not release them before the date and time stated on the subpoena unless the parties, and the consumer or employee, agree to an earlier date (CCP § 2020.430).
The deposition officer must be a professional photocopier registered under Business and Professions Code § 22450 and following, or a person exempt from registration under § 22451, which includes attorneys and their employees. No deposition officer, registered or exempt, can be financially interested in the case or be a relative or employee of any party’s attorney (CCP § 2020.420). That means a law firm’s own staff can’t act as deposition officer on the firm’s cases. A registered professional photocopier registers with the county clerk, posts a $5,000 bond, and is responsible for keeping the records it handles confidential (Business and Professions Code §§ 22455 and 22458).
Registered & Bonded California Professional Photocopier
Direct Legal Support, Inc., Joe Huber, Director of Business Operations · Los Angeles County Registration No. X-380 · Bonded in the State of California
Direct Legal can be the deposition officer for the subpoenas your office serves or our office serves. After production, we deliver the records to the party who issued the subpoena, and to any other party that has requested to purchase a copy from us, including up to six months after the case settles (CCP § 2020.440).
How Long Records Retrieval Takes
Our routine orders typically set the production date about 35 days after the subpoena is issued. For rush orders, production can be set as soon as 20 days after issuance, the earliest California law allows. The type of records and the notice requirements determine the deposition or production date.
| Earliest Production Date | The later of 20 days after the subpoena is issued or 15 days after it is served (CCP § 2020.410(c)). |
|---|---|
| Notice to the Consumer or Employee | Served at least 10 days before the production date and at least 5 days before the custodian is served, plus extra time if the notice is mailed (CCP §§ 1985.3 and 1985.6). |
| Objections | After a motion to quash or a written objection is served, the custodian doesn’t have to produce until the court orders it or everyone affected agrees. The requesting party can move to enforce within 20 days of a written objection (CCP §§ 1985.3(g) and 1985.6(f)). |
| Federal Subpoenas | A Notice of Intent and a copy of the subpoena are served on every party before the subpoena is served, and production must be within 100 miles of where the custodian lives, works, or regularly does business (FRCP 45(a)(4) and 45(c)(2)(A)). |
Custodians don’t always produce on the production date. We follow up until the records arrive, and we tell you right away about objections, partial productions, or a custodian that has no records.
Led by Joe Huber, 42 Years in Records Retrieval
Joe Huber started in records retrieval in 1984, when records were produced on paper and copied with portable microfilm cameras. Today records arrive electronically or are scanned to digital files, and Joe has overseen hundreds of thousands of subpoenas and records requests along the way. His specialty is California State Court subpoenas, and he handles federal subpoenas and requests in other states too.
“I personally handled all of the records requests regarding one of the largest Los Angeles area lawsuits.”
Joe Huber, Director of Business Operations
“We are a boutique business,” Joe says, “that provides attention to detail on every order that most larger companies overlook.” Read Joe’s profile
From a Client
A senior paralegal who has worked with Direct Legal for many years posted this review after Joe helped her office with a difficult, time-sensitive service assignment:
“What impressed me most was his responsiveness, follow-through, professionalism, patience, and personal involvement. Joe did not simply pass the assignment along and wait for someone else to handle it.”
“When you are working under litigation deadlines, having a vendor you can trust makes an enormous difference.”
Drew Taylor, Senior Paralegal, The Law Office of Pardeep Bains, APC, Modesto · Google review
Scanning, Copying, and Production
Records are produced digitally, and every order is tracked in WinCopy, software made for records retrieval and copy services. Our team can also provide:
- On-site and off-site scanning. Records scanned on Kodak S3120 Max and Canon DR-6030C production scanners, including when a facility makes originals available for copying.
- X-rays and radiology. X-ray and radiology studies and radiological film duplicated, and imaging files checked with the RadiAnt DICOM Viewer.
- OCR. Searchable text added when your firm asks for it.
- Bates numbering. Digital alpha-numeric Bates stamping and pagination.
- Confidentiality legends. Confidentiality statements and watermarks on request.
- Blueprints. Blueprint duplication.
- Audio and video. Audio and video cassette duplication.
- Binding. Velo, spiral, and GBC binding and punching.
- Delivery. PDF and ZIP files through our secure portal, on CD or USB drive, or printed.
Records Retrieval Pricing
Records retrieval is quoted per order, and we offer discounted, bundled pricing for firms that send us their records work. Custodians may also charge reasonable costs for locating and copying records, and for postage, as Evidence Code § 1563(b) allows. Those costs are separate from our fee. Trip fees, where they apply, are a separate line item. Call (213) 484-9000 or email rrorders@directlegal.com for a quote.
Records Retrieval Division Contact
| Phone | (213) 484-9000 |
|---|---|
| Fax | (213) 277-8600 |
| Email for Orders | rrorders@directlegal.com |
| Deposition Officer Address | Direct Legal Support, Inc. 901 Corporate Center Dr., Ste. 400 Monterey Park, CA 91754 Email: recordsretrieval@directlegal.com Phone: (213) 484-9000 |
| New Clients | Request a records retrieval account |
| Court Records | Need copies of filed court documents instead? See court document retrieval. |
Records Retrieval Questions
What is a deposition officer for a records subpoena in California?
When a deposition subpoena asks only for business records, the custodian delivers a copy of the records to the deposition officer named on the subpoena. Under CCP 2020.420, the deposition officer must be a registered professional photocopier or a person exempt from registration under Business and Professions Code § 22451, which includes attorneys and their employees. No deposition officer, registered or exempt, can be financially interested in the case or be a relative or employee of any party's attorney. That means a law firm's own staff can't act as deposition officer on the firm's cases. Direct Legal can be the deposition officer for the subpoenas your office serves or our office serves.
Are you a registered professional photocopier?
Yes. Direct Legal Support, Inc. is a registered and bonded California professional photocopier, Los Angeles County Registration No. X-380, bonded in the State of California. Joe Huber, who leads our Records Retrieval Division, is the deposition officer under that registration.
How long does it take to get records by subpoena?
The production date can be no earlier than 20 days after the subpoena is issued or 15 days after it is served, whichever is later (CCP 2020.410). Our routine orders typically set production about 35 days after issuance, and rush orders can be as soon as 20 days. When the custodian actually produces depends on the facility, and we follow up until the records arrive.
Do I need to notify the patient or employee before subpoenaing their records?
Yes, for personal records such as medical, bank, and insurance records, and for employment records. The Notice to Consumer or Employee (form SUBP-025) must be served at least 10 days before the production date and at least 5 days before the custodian is served, plus extra time if it is mailed (CCP 1985.3 and 1985.6). A signed authorization from the consumer can take the place of the notice.
What happens if the consumer or employee objects?
After a motion to quash or a written objection is served, the custodian and the deposition officer don't have to produce the records until the court orders it or everyone affected agrees. The requesting party can move to enforce the subpoena within 20 days of a written objection (CCP 1985.3(g) and 1985.6(f)). We let you know right away when an objection arrives.
Can you guarantee that the records will be produced?
No one can. A custodian may have no records, only some of them, or an objection may stop production until the court rules. As deposition officer, we receive and deliver what the custodian produces. We follow up with the facility and report where every request stands, so your office can decide on next steps.
How are the records delivered?
As PDF or ZIP files through our secure portal. We add OCR text and Bates numbers if requested in your order, and the custodian's declaration and proof of service come with the records.
Can other parties in the case get copies of the records?
Yes. Under CCP 2020.440, any other party can order a copy from the deposition officer, including up to six months after the case settles.
Do you handle federal court subpoenas?
Yes. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 45, a Notice of Intent and a copy of the subpoena are served on every party before the subpoena is served, and production must be within 100 miles of where the custodian lives, works, or regularly does business. For records in other states, see our out-of-state subpoena service.
Can phone company records be subpoenaed?
Only with the customer's signed consent. A subpoena for a customer's records from a telephone utility isn't valid without it (CCP 1985.3(f)).
Need Records Subpoenaed?
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