While the onetime pop princess spent her weekend manning would-be traffic citations and house calls from animal services, Spears’ former career Svengali, Larry Rudolph, was doing his best not to further damage his old client’s personal or professional standing—by remaining in hiding from Kevin Federline’s subpoena-happy prosecution.

Rudolph told E! News anchor Ryan Seacrest via BlackBerry over the weekend that he has spent the past few weeks essentially on the run from Federline’s process server in order to avoid testifying in the ex-couple’s ongoing child-custody case.

According to Seacrest, who relayed Rudolph’s in-hiding status on his KIIS-FM radio show Monday morning, Rudolph wishes to remain loyal to Spears despite an on-again, off-again professional relationship with the singer with whom he has twice parted ways. Per Seacrest, Rudolph claimed if he were made to testify under oath, it “won’t be good for Britney.”

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau disclosed the judge’s intervention yesterday when he announced that process server Margarita Nunez, 51, has pleaded guilty to filing false documents and faces five years’ probation.

Who are Data Providers and what kind of data do they offer?

Companies like IRBsearch, LocatePlus, Merlin, Tracers Info and many others offer research tools for private investigators, process servers, bail agents and other legal professionals. These tools query billions of records to assist in finding information on people and businesses. Common searches include assets, criminal records, court records, phone number look-ups, driving records and much more.

“Every service done by our company is researched before it leaves the office. Businesses are checked using the Secretary of State’s website for registered agent and corporate officers. We use data providers to check residential addresses,” said Stuart Perlmutter of Professional Process Service, LLC in Waterbury, CT. “This saves substantial time and effort in the field.”

Where does their Data come from?

Data providers acquire information from hundreds of sources that include billions of records with updates coming on a daily basis. Data originates from governmental agencies and privates companies. Many companies pull from the same data sources including ChoicePoint and Lexis Nexis.

According to Merlin, they pull data from over 130 sources, while IRBsearch claims to take daily updates from more than 33 billion records and over 750 sources.

How do I choose a data provider?

There tends to be one common response to this question.

“You should never depend on any single data provider,” says Jimmie Mesis of PI Magazine. “These companies are all data aggregators and while many do get data from the same major suppliers, each one does acquire unique data from different sources. Some companies are also stronger in different parts of the country.”

“And it’s not just the data they have, it’s how they use it,” adds Vicki Siedow of Siedow & Associations in La Crescenta, CA. “The interface, how and when they update, lots of little differences make the outcome of a search vary sometimes widely from company to company.”

Many other industry professionals have weighed in on this topic in the ServeNow.com and PInow.com Yahoo Groups. In addition to echoing the above sentiments, the general consensus says that you should use this information as a guide and you should always validate your findings.

“I never accept the results I get from any source. I use it as a lead, then confirm it,” said Ron Rugen of Rugen Team Investigations in Columbia, MO.

Getting Access to the Data

Once you find a data provider you want to work with, you must adhere to state and national laws to gain access to their services. Each provider has their own application and credentialing process. Federal laws mandate that potential users identify the intent for the information they seek. Merlin asks for documentation of business and professional licenses and checks all available databases to determine if the applicant is who they say they are. If the applicant wants to receive data with full social security numbers, they must agree to an on-site inspection.

The Bottom Line

Even though the industry has seen a price increase in the last year, basic searches through these data providers are still reasonable, starting around $1. As you request more detailed data, searches become more expensive. This is especially true with criminal and driving records.

“The days of the quarter search are over and I’m surprised that they were able to keep such valuable information at that price. The data companies we buy information from are now paying more for information themselves and they will obviously pass the added expense on to us - the end users. Even at the higher price it’s still amazing at how much information we are able to get for such a minimal amount,” added Mesis.

What are your thoughts?

The ServeNow.com and PInow.com team would like to give you the opportunity to provide your input and experience with data providers. Please feel free to comment below.

Participating Data Provider Summaries

The following companies assisted in putting together this article. We have given them an opportunity to share information regarding their companies here. If you would like to know more about their services and products, please contact them directly.

Merlin Data | http://www.merlindata.com
Merlin has all the tools to locate people quickly. A leading innovator and provider of online public record and skiptracing databases, Merlin Information Services provides quality data essential to the successful investigator.

Find current phone numbers and addresses with our pay-per-search or for volume savings, choose affordably-priced subscription billing.

Search the Merlin Cross-Directory and access over 150 million households and 14 million businesses including over 90 million phone listings. Or choose the Link to America credit header product, the best skiptracing database in the industry.

IRBSearch | http://www.irbsearch.com
IRBsearch is the powerhouse of online data information for the United States. IRBsearch was developed by licensed private investigators specifically for the industries we serve: private investigators, process servers, recovery agents, and bail bondsmen. Whether you investigate cases, serve process, locate skips, or track down relatives and associates, IRBsearch is the treasure map of choice for industry professionals. Our Person Search offers access to the most current addresses and up to a 30-plus year address history. No waiting, no set-up fees, and no monthly minimums: get results within seconds! The Most, The Best, The Fastest!

TracersInfo | http://www.tracersinfo.com
TracersInfo is a premiere online information source, providing instant access to current, accurate data products created by integrating billions of records from public record and proprietary data sources in a simple, easy-to-use format. The system offers a wide array of features that aren’t available anywhere else, giving investigative professionals a quick, cost-effective way to turn the information they have into the information they need, including current address info, full SSNs and DOBs, criminal history searches, driving records, instant return wants & warrants searches, asset searches and much more. No signup fees. No monthly minimums.

Many servers offer a “field locate” with all service of process. This means that your client automatically authorizes an attempted locate of the subject if it is determined that the given address is a bad address. A field locate provides an incentive to the server to talk to the neighbors while in the field. Typically, the charge is $25-$50 if the subject is found. If the server does not locate the subject in the field, there is still an opportunity to try to find the subject before the client is called for an authorization for a full-priced skiptrace. It is easy to sell a $150 job if you tell your client that you have already checked phone books, called directory assistance and checked with several neighbors and, there will be no charge unless the subject is found.

Read the rest of Michael Dores’ article by clicking the link below:
An Easy Source of Additional Revenue for Servers

The ServeNow.com Team would like to welcome the newest members of our online Process Serving Directory. Below you will find the basic contact information for all of the process servers who joined the ServeNow.com online directory of local, pre-screened process servers between May 1-31, 2007:

Commercial Process Serving, Inc.
Contact: Esteban Pujol
Phone: (800) 382-0088
Location: Ventura, California 93003

AWS Investigations
Contact: Al Smith
Phone: (608) 235-3893
Location: Oregon, Wisconsin 53575

Danley Investigations, Inc.
Contact: Trina Danley
Phone: (866) 761-5858
Location: Englewood, Colorado 80112

Williams Investigations
Contact: Tyler Paulsen
Phone: (406) 442-2621
Location: East Helena, Montana 59635

C & C Legal Support Services, Inc.
Contact: Craig Tunnicliffe
Phone: (410) 366-9109
Location: Baltimore, Maryland 21218

Attorney’s Diversified Services
Contact: “Process Service”
Phone: (916) 441-4396
Location: Sacramento, California 95814

Eddings Attorney Service
Contact: “Process Service”
Phone: (559) 222-2274
Location: Fresno, California 93720

Superior Process Service
Contact: Brandon T. Rickard
Phone: (906) 869-1773
Location: Negaunee, Michigan 49866

Hendricks Investigations Services, LLC.
Contact: Edward Hendricks
Phone: (440) 223-1807
Location: Parma, Ohio 44134

Cochise County Server
Contact: Todd Tenney
Phone: (520) 384-4853
Location: Willcox, Arizona 85643-1402

North Georgia Process
Contact: Theresa Phelps
Phone: (770) 570-9027
Location: Marietta, Georgia 30060

Sherry’s Process Service
Contact: Sheree Hopkins
Phone: (813) 900-0290
Location: Tampa, Florida 33685

Orange Paper Placers, Inc.
Contact: Kathleen M. Gould
Phone: (845) 294-7810
Location: Goshen, New York 10924

Court Services, Inc.
Contact: Craig D. Williams
Phone: (845) 534-4236
Location: Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York 12520

Federal Process Service
Contact: Robert Lightfoot
Phone: (870) 588-4792
Location: Harrisburg, Arkansas 72432

Jay J. Teddy, PI
Contact: Jay J. Teddy
Phone: (704) 484-8105
Location: Shelby, North Carolina 28151

Joseph J. Rich, CPS
Contact: Joseph J. Rich
Phone: (877) 340-0011
Location: Port Saint Lucie, Florida 34983

SEMO Process Service & Investigations
Contact: Randy Stone
Phone: (573) 654-2005
Location: Arbyrd, Missouri 63821

True Grit Investigations
Contact: Margerite Reed
Phone: (479) 957-4693
Location: Greenland, Arkansas 72737

Female Agents
Contact: Kimberly Hamilton
Phone: (336) 516-7896
Location: Graham, North Carolina 27253

J. Mitchel Private Investigations
Contact: Jeffrey Mitchel
Phone: (800) 979-8264
Location: Kerrville, Texas 78028

DuBrey’s Lawyer Service
Contact: Stephen DuBrey
Phone: (518) 314-1391
Location: Plattsburg, New York 12901

Marshall & Associates, Inc.
Contact: Ronald Marshall
Phone: (800) 541-0634
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio 45249

Veronica Tafoya, Process Server
Contact: Veronica Tafoya
Phone: (505) 418-7748
Location: Socorro, New Mexico 87801

ADB, Inc.
Contact: Celine M. Estill
Phone: (800) 405-4006
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio 45244

Eye-Spy Research & Investigative Services
Contact: Robert Murphy
Phone: (866) 393-7798
Location: Jupiter, Florida 33458

ServeNow.com
(877) 737-8366
info@serve-now.com

If you are not yet a member of Serve-Now.com’s online Process Server Directory, please contact Mike MacDonald at (877) 737-8366 ext. 83, or visit ServeNow.com Advertising.

New ServeNow.com Members from Past Months:

Welcome ServeNow.com New Members - January 2007
Welcome ServeNow.com New Members - February 2007
Welcome ServeNow.com New Members - March 2007
Welcome ServeNow.com New Members - April 2007

Those are two words many people don’t want to hear, but they are the words from which Bob Joiner and Lee Owens make their livings.

As personal process servers, Joiner and Owens deliver important legal documents to people who are supposed to appear in court — people who sometimes don’t want these important legal documents.

A legal process server delivers legal documents such as writs, summons, subpoenas, complaints and other court documents to a defendant or an individual involved in a court case.

But the pair don’t just serve people to appear in court.

Jon Peters was the star when he got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Monday - but his ex-wife, Christine, stole the show when she had a process server hand him court papers the second he got out of his limo. Jon and Christine are in a bitter legal battle. She claims Jon owes her child support for their two daughters. Jon claims that Christine has been living rent free in a mansion he owns and that the daughters are grown and not legally his. A pal of Jon’s said, “I found the fact that she did it [have the papers served] in front of their children very classless.”

For two years the team from ServeNow.com and PInow.com has delivered the ServeReport to professional process servers and private investigators. The most recent version of this essential resource boasts a new design with all the same great content.

“The ServeReport is a tremendous resource to the process serving, investigative and legal community. It’s more than just an extension of our process service and investigative directories. It deserves a presence and brand of its own. This new design provides that,” said Mike MacDonald Director of Sales and Marketing for ServeNow.com.

But they’re wrong, a Mercer County, N.J., judge says in a $403 sanction order against Robert Conroy, one of the state’s leading health care lawyers.

Conroy was in his Bridgewater office on March 20, when Guaranteed Subpoena Service Inc. sent a representative to serve a malpractice suit by a doctor Conroy had represented in a complicated transaction.

But Guaranteed reported back to the plaintiff’s lawyer: “Not served! Entity was evading service. Threw service at server, stating he was trespassing and would be arrested if he didn’t leave.”

It is the intent of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to enter into a non-exclusive, multiple award, contract(s) to secure the professional services of a qualified contractor(s) to perform legal service of process of documents, with one (1) contractor selected for Part A, within the State of California, and one (1) contractor selected for Part B, outside the State of California, for Merced County’s Department of Child Support Services (DCSS). Note: One Contractor may be awarded both parts.

The primary goal of the county is to obtain services of a Contractor(s) who can meet the volume and quality of services expectations within the time constraints allowed, for the most reasonable cost to the taxpayers.

The due date for this bid is set for June 26, 2007 by 4:00 P.M.

NOTE:
In order to access further details pertaining to this request for proposal, you must be a member of the ServeNow.com Process Servers Group. If your already a member of the ServeNow.com group, click the following link for additional information: http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/servenow-process-servers/message/3671

Group Benefits:
Currently there are over 1,800 members of the ServeNow.com Process Servers Group. Below is a list of just some of the many perks to being a part of the Process Servers Group:

• Notifications of State and Local Government Contracts/RFPs
• Grow your business
• Expand your referral network
• Discuss industry issues
• Access tools to market and streamline your business

RFP’s and Contracts 101:
Government contracts provide your company with an opportunity for ongoing monthly revenue. The following articles discuss securing Government RFP’s and contracts in further detail:

1) The Benefits of Securing Government Contracts
2) Determining which contracts are right for you
3) Responding to a Request for Proposal
Click to join servenow-process-servers