§ 01 · Engagement Timeline Six steps. Most take a day.
Six steps. Most take a day.
The research takes the rest.
The critical path from first email to delivered report typically runs fifteen business days for a Tier B engagement. Steps one through three are fast and determine fit. Step four is the work.
01 Day 0
Describe the situation
Submit a brief on the judgment, the debtor, and what you already know. Two paragraphs is enough.
You · 10 min 02 Day 1
Receive a package recommendation
We reply within one business day with a package, tier, and flat price — or an honest reason the research is unlikely to pencil.
Us · < 1 business day 03 Day 2–3
Sign the research agreement
Fixed-scope engagement letter with our compliance representations written in. Yours to keep and produce.
You · 15 min 04 Day 3–12
Research conducted
Public records, licensed aggregators, GLBA-permissible financial research, entity linkage — every finding sourced and logged.
Us · 5–10 business days 05 Day 12–13
Written report delivered
Sealed PDF — debtor identity, assets, entities, real property, supporting records, methodology appendix.
Us · Delivered via secure share 06 Day 13–15
Strategy memo + call
Package 02 only: written CA enforcement strategy memo, one-hour consultation, two follow-up rounds over 30 days.
Package 02 only
"The attorneys who send us their second matter usually tell us the same thing about the first: they knew what they'd paid for before they paid for it."
— Peninsula litigation partner
§ 02 · Inputs & Outputs
What you submit. What you receive.
The intake is intentionally minimal. If you have more than what we ask for, that shortens the research and — sometimes — reduces the tier. If you have less than this, tell us what you do have; we'll work with it.
What you submit
Judgment + debtor. Documents if you have them.
- Required Judgment details — court of entry, date entered, case number, principal amount, and any post-judgment interest or costs calculation you're currently running.
- Required Debtor information — full legal name(s), any known DBAs or aliases, last known address, and — if you have them — date of birth and the last four of the SSN. Business debtor: legal entity name and state of formation.
- Required Your role — retained counsel, judgment creditor direct, or assignee. This determines the engagement letter signatory.
- Helpful Entered judgment PDF — the stamped order as filed with the court. Not required; we will pull it from PACER or the county docket if needed.
- Helpful Prior debtor exam transcripts, subpoena returns, or bank discovery — anything already produced. Reduces duplication. Frequently moves a matter down a tier.
- Helpful Context on debtor behavior since judgment — have they moved, restructured, stopped responding, or changed counsel? One paragraph is plenty.
One thing we don't need
We don't ask for your theory of collection, your view on the debtor's credibility, or your strategy. Those are your judgment calls, and we prefer to form ours independently on the research before reading yours.
What we deliver
By package. Every deliverable in writing.
Package 01 · Research Report
- Written PDF report Debtor identity, banking & brokerage, entity structure, real property, UCC, methodology appendix — typically 14–28 pages.
- Source log Every finding traceable to its database, filing, or public record, with the date the record was accessed.
- Compliance representations Signed research agreement documenting the legal basis for each category of record accessed.
Package 02 · Research + Strategy
- All of Package 01 at Tier B Individual + entity · asset trace · 7 business days.
- Written enforcement strategy memo Recommended enforcement sequence, jurisdictional & timing considerations, likely debtor counter-moves, and how to pre-empt them. Investigative work product — not legal advice.
- Consultation call · one hour Direct with Timothy Wulff, PI. Agenda sent 24 hours ahead; call is recorded only at attorney's request and delivered on a same-day transcript.
- Two written follow-up rounds over 30 days For scoped questions arising after delivery — updated asset status, additional entity checks, or targeted corroboration.
Package 03 · Portfolio / Ongoing
- Custom scope & SLA Negotiated intake workflow, dedicated turnaround commitments, and quarterly portfolio review. Priced by volume.
§ 03 · Methodology · How the Research Is Conducted · Why It's Clean
Every finding is sourced.
Every method is documented.
Every record is legally obtained.
Peninsula attorneys have seen what happens when collection methodology crosses the line — pretexted calls to banks, impersonated relatives, financial records obtained from sources no one will name on a stand. This section exists because Timothy's practice does not operate that way, and because what you send to us becomes part of your file the moment we touch it.
What we access — and how
Four research layers · each with a named legal basis
Layer 01
Public records
Real property transfers and liens, UCC-1 financing statements, California Secretary of State filings, federal and state court records, and bankruptcy filings. All publicly available; no special authorization required beyond standard licensed investigative practice.
Legal basis Publicly available records · open to any member of the public or licensed investigator.
Layer 02
Skip trace
Current and prior addresses, telephone numbers, known aliases, employer history, and identity markers — sourced from licensed data aggregators. Locating a judgment debtor for post-judgment enforcement is a recognized lawful purpose under California and federal law.
Legal basis DPPA § 2721(b)(4) · FCRA § 604(a)(3)(A) · CA PI licensing framework.
Layer 03
Financial records
Active bank and brokerage account identification, institution confirmation, account status, and balance indicators where available. Accessed through compliant, licensed data providers under the GLBA permissible-purpose framework for post-judgment enforcement of a legal obligation.
Legal basis GLBA 15 U.S.C. § 6802(e)(3)(A) · "to comply with federal, state, or local laws."
Layer 04
Entity linkage
SSN-to-entity research identifying corporate structures — LLCs, corporations, partnerships, registered agent patterns — conducted through licensed investigative databases. Frequently surfaces entities formed after the judgment date to shield assets from a judgment creditor.
Legal basis Licensed investigative access · CA BPC § 7521 permissible-purpose investigation.
What we never do
Four things that would put your firm at risk.
- Pretexting. Impersonating a third party — relative, customer, regulator — to obtain financial information. Illegal under federal GLBA § 6821 and California law.
- Unauthorized access. Obtaining financial records outside an established permissible-purpose framework, or through data brokers who cannot document their chain of custody.
- Sewer service or procedurally defective discovery tactics. Fabricated service, date-shifted proof, or discovery shortcuts that would not survive a motion.
- Any method that would expose your firm. To a State Bar complaint, regulatory action, or civil liability — including any method we cannot describe on record if challenged.
What you receive that documents this
Three artifacts. Yours to keep.
- Signed research agreement. With our compliance representations in writing — GLBA purpose, licensed-data-only, no pretexting — yours to keep and to produce if any finding is ever challenged.
- Methodology documentation. A standing brief describing the legal basis for every category of record accessed, available on request, with or without a mutual NDA.
- Source documentation inside the report. Every finding in the delivered report is traceable to its origin — the database query, the filing, the public record, the date of access.
§ 04 · Pricing, Again Three packages.
Three packages.
Priced before work begins.
Every engagement is flat-fee. No retainers, no hourly billing, no contingency on recovery. The scope is written into the research agreement and does not shift mid-engagement without a written change order at a written price.
Package 01
Research Report
For attorneys and creditors who know California enforcement procedure
and need the data, not the strategy.
What's included
- Full written research report
- All applicable database findings
- Skip trace performed if needed
- Delivered as a sealed PDF
Tier & turnaround
Tier A
Individual debtor · single jurisdiction5 business days
$1,200
Tier B
Individual + entity · asset trace7 business days
$1,800
Tier C
Multi-entity · post-judgment restructuring10 business days
$2,500–4,000
Tier C quoted at intake · Rush available
Package 02Most Requested
Research + Enforcement Strategy
For attorneys and creditors who need both the data and a structured
path forward, in writing.
What's included
- Full Tier B research report
- Written California enforcement strategy memo
- One-hour consultation call with Timothy Wulff, PI
- Two written follow-up rounds over 30 days
What the memo covers
- Recommended enforcement sequence
- Jurisdictional and timing considerations
- Likely debtor counter-moves and how to pre-empt them
- Not legal advice · Attorney retains judgment
$3,500 Flat fee · 10 business days
Package 03
Portfolio / Ongoing
For firms or creditors with recurring enforcement research needs —
custom scoped, priced by volume.
How custom scoping works
- Monthly volume & expected cadence
- Complexity profile across judgments
- Dedicated intake workflow
- Quarterly portfolio review
Custom Quoted by volume · 30-day onboarding
§ 05 · Frequently Asked Ten questions.
Ten questions.
Answered straight.
Most of these come from the intake call before a first engagement. They are the questions Peninsula counsel asks when assessing whether a judgment enforcement investigator is the kind of vendor worth signing an agreement with.
Q 01 Is the research legal? +
Yes. Every category of record we access falls under a recognized lawful purpose. Public records — real property, UCC, court filings — are open to any member of the public. Skip-trace data is accessed through licensed investigative aggregators under DPPA and FCRA permissible-purpose frameworks. Financial records are accessed under GLBA § 6802(e)(3)(A), which expressly permits non-public personal financial information to be obtained to comply with federal, state, or local laws — including post-judgment enforcement of a money judgment.
Basis · GLBA § 6802(e)(3)(A) · DPPA § 2721(b)(4) · FCRA § 604(a)(3)(A)
Q 02 How do you access financial records without a subpoena? +
Through the GLBA permissible-purpose framework — the same framework licensed data aggregators use to provide financial account information to qualifying investigators for lawful purposes. Post-judgment enforcement of a legal obligation is one such purpose. The work is done through compliant, licensed data providers whose chain of custody and compliance posture is documentable. It is not done through pretexting, phone impersonation of the debtor or a relative, or any form of social engineering. Each of those methods is illegal under GLBA § 6821 and California law.
Layer 03 · Methodology
Q 03 What if the debtor has moved assets or restructured? +
That is frequently the research problem. Entity-linkage research identifies LLCs, corporations, and partnerships tied to the debtor's identifiers — including any entity formed after the judgment entry date, which is often the most interesting finding. County recorder research identifies real property transfers since the judgment, including transfers to family LLCs and inter-spousal grants that warrant UVTA analysis. Banking research surfaces accounts opened after prior accounts were closed. Patterns that warrant fraudulent-transfer analysis are flagged in the report; we do not pursue UVTA claims ourselves — those are attorney work.
UVTA · CCP § 3439.04 et seq.
Q 04 How long does a research report take? +
Tier A — individual debtor, single jurisdiction — is five business days. Tier B — individual plus entity asset trace — is seven business days. Tier C — multi-entity or post-judgment restructuring — is ten business days. Rush turnaround is available on Tier A and Tier B for an added fee, quoted at intake. Package 02 adds two to three business days for the strategy memo and consultation call after the report is delivered.
Q 05 What's the difference between Package 1 and Package 2? +
Package 01 is research only — a written, sourced report. Use it when you already have enforcement counsel, when you know California procedure cold, or when you need the data to hand off to a process server or levying officer and nothing more. Package 02 adds a written California enforcement strategy memo, a one-hour consultation call with Timothy Wulff, and two written follow-up rounds over the thirty days after delivery. Use it when you want a path as well as the data — a recommended sequence, jurisdictional considerations, and a view on the debtor's likely counter-moves.
Q 06 Do you appear in court or provide legal advice? +
No. We do not appear in court and we do not practice law. The strategy memo in Package 02 is investigative work product — a description of likely enforcement sequences, jurisdictional considerations, and anticipated debtor behavior. It is explicitly not legal advice, and the attorney retains all legal judgment. We can be listed as the investigator of record on declarations where useful, and we appear as an investigative witness only where compelled or stipulated.
Q 07 Are you licensed in California? +
Yes. Timothy Wulff is a licensed California Private Investigator in good standing with the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services. License number is provided on the engagement letter and is verifiable through the BSIS online lookup. All research is conducted under that license; we do not subcontract investigative work to out-of-state or unlicensed parties.
BSIS · CA BPC § 7520 et seq.
Q 08 What if the debtor is outside California? +
The underlying California judgment must be domesticated in the foreign jurisdiction before enforcement is possible under that state's procedures. Research itself can be performed on out-of-state debtors — most of our database access is national — and the report will flag jurisdictional considerations in the strategy memo if Package 02 is engaged. We do not represent clients through the domestication process; that is attorney work, and we will coordinate with domestication counsel on request.
Q 09 What if the debtor holds cryptocurrency, RSUs, or venture equity? +
These are frequent Peninsula asset classes and are researched explicitly at Tier B and above. Custodial exchange accounts tied to the debtor's identifiers are identified through licensed databases. RSU and venture equity holdings are researched through 10b5-1 adoption filings, Form 4 filings when the debtor is a Section 16 officer, cap-table traces where accessible, and employment record linkage to known venture-backed employers. Non-custodial cryptocurrency wallets are investigated through on-chain analysis where a clear nexus to the debtor's identifiers exists — known exchange deposit addresses, KYC'd wallet clusters, or public on-chain transactions tied to an identified account. We are candid in the report about the confidence level of each finding in this category.
Peninsula specialty · added 2024
Q 10 Can I see the methodology documentation before engaging? +
Yes. A standing methodology brief describing the legal basis for each category of record accessed — Layer 01 through Layer 04 — is available on request, with or without a mutual NDA depending on counsel's preference. Every signed research agreement also embeds our compliance representations directly in the engagement letter, so the documentation is in your file the moment you sign. If you want to read the brief before submitting a judgment, say so in the intake note.