Finding a person who does not want to be found — or who has simply fallen off the map — requires more than a database search. USA Express conducts professional locate and skip trace investigations for law firms and legal teams across all 50 states, from individual defendants who need to be served to large-scale class action locate projects involving thousands of subjects.
A locate — commonly referred to as a skip trace — is the investigative process of identifying a person’s current address, contact information, or whereabouts when that information is unknown or outdated. It is used in litigation to find defendants and witnesses for service, in post-judgment collection to locate debtors, and in class action matters to reach group members. The method combines database research, public records, and investigative fieldwork to verify and confirm a subject’s current location.
Not every locate is the same. A standard locate involves finding a single individual with a reasonably traceable records footprint — a defendant, witness, or debtor with a history that can be followed. A complex locate involves subjects who are significantly harder to find: individuals who have moved frequently, use aliases, have minimal public records presence, or are actively avoiding contact. These require deeper investigative technique and more time. A class action locate is an entirely different scope of engagement — identifying and reaching large groups of individuals, sometimes numbering in the hundreds or thousands, from aging or incomplete contact lists. USA Express has handled large-scale locate projects for major class action and mass tort matters and has the workflow and capacity to manage high-volume engagements efficiently.
As early as possible. An unserved defendant cannot be brought before the court, a missing witness cannot testify, and an uncollected judgment produces nothing. The sooner a locate is initiated, the more current the data and the better the result. Locates are commonly ordered at the outset of litigation when a defendant’s address is unconfirmed, when a prior serve attempt has failed, before a statute of limitations deadline, at the post-judgment collection stage, or when a class or mass tort notice program needs to reach a defined group. Rush service is available for time-sensitive matters. Most standard locates are completed within 3 to 5 business days.
