As the era of legal e-filing came close to replacing the hand delivering of documents, one process-serving business knew it had to find the right partner.
ATG LegalServe, a Chicago-headquartered process server that offers skip tracing to lawyers across the country, went scouting to find the top case e-filing portal company in the country.
Executives found just the right company, File & ServeXpress, which is based in Irving, Texas, but has a footprint in many states.
(Left) Kelly Kienzle, president and chief executive of ATG LegalServe. (Right) Annette Cafferkey, File & ServeXpress's business development manager.
"When two market leaders get together, it is a positive thing for the legal community," Annette Cafferkey, File & ServeXpress's business development manager, told The Record.
Cafferkey added, "We took the approach that it was best to stick with what we’re good at. Combining what both companies do best keeps each focused on their key business and improves the offering to the market.
"Many companies today try to enter an industry segment without expertise or experience. In many instances, the offering fails. Seasoned companies with depth have a huge advantage."
"When the notion of electronic filing went from an 'if' to a 'when,' we decided to be proactive and figure out how to accommodate clients while maintaining the same level of personal service and integrity that we were known for in the past," Kelly Kienzle, president and chief executive of ATG LegalServe, told the SE Texas Record.
"We did our research and found the best e-filing portal company in the country to partner with. The rest is history."
File & ServeXpress provides attorneys with case, document and party management solutions that simplify the litigation workflow of a case, according to its website, which adds that it offers electronic filing to courts, process service, secure document exchange among judges and attorneys, alert and notification tools, and a document repository.
ATG LegalServe is a licensed private detective agency providing process service and skip tracing, its website states.
"We are the first two companies to integrate our services to make a one-stop shop for all law firms' e-filing and process serving needs," Cafferkey said.
And this allows for a "reliable, quality process service for e-filing in a fraction of the time," added Kienzle. "We understand that maintaining the high quality of service with our mutual customers is key.
"We are always aware of that. We pay attention and think through our customers’ experience looking for ways to enhance it. This helps us provide them with the best experience."
One key offering is automated batch e-filing and process of service, which allows clients needing to file and serve many times during the month to do so.
"Our custom batch tool will leverage your data and documents, and seamlessly submit them into eFileIL and to ATG LegalServe," Cafferkey explained.
A file-stamped complaint will be sent to ATG LegalServe, and affidavits of service will be filed back to eFileIL.: one-stop shopping for both of these needs and one step closer to a paperless office. Plus, you can recover your e-filing costs."