Gridiron Capital Partners with ABC Legal Services

Gridiron Expands Presence in Legal Services Sector and in Tech-Enabled Network Business Models

NEW CANAAN, Conn., Aug. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gridiron Capital, LLC ("Gridiron Capital" or "Gridiron"), an investment firm focused on partnering with founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams, is pleased to announce the acquisition of ABC Legal Services, LLC ("ABC Legal" or the "Company"), a leading national provider of service of process ("SOP") and court filing solutions, from Aquiline. Gridiron and ABC Legal's strategic partnership combines ABC Legal's innovative industry leadership with Gridiron's sector expertise and resources and aims to drive accelerated growth through effective network models.

ABC Legal supports law firms, corporations, and government entities in executing time-sensitive legal workflows with speed, compliance, and scale through SOP, eFiling, and appearance counsel through its Docketly brand. Established in 1974 and headquartered in Seattle, Washington, ABC Legal operates a tech-enabled platform that connects over 29,000 clients with 8,000+ process servers across all 50 states and 88 countries worldwide. ABC Legal is led by CEO Tim Dinehart, alongside an exceptional management team.

Mr. Dinehart said, "This partnership with Gridiron is an exciting moment for our company and a win for our customers, partners, process servers, and employees. We're excited to leverage Gridiron's knowledge and resources to continue to invest in our best-in-class technology and solutions, upholding our mission to simplify legal workflows for our customers. We are deeply grateful to Aquiline and our founders for their support and look forward to continued growth while striving to deliver exceptional service to our clients in this new chapter."

The partnership with ABC Legal underscores Gridiron's conviction in its Legal and Insurance Services Thematic Area of Expertise™ and mature value creation playbook within tech-enabled, dual-sided network business models. Gridiron brings significant value through its deep industry knowledge and accomplished track record of investments in this sector, including Esquire Deposition Solutions and Legility. Gridiron aims to further capitalize on ABC Legal's strong market leadership position stemming from its powerful dual-sided network, which allows it to efficiently serve customers and supply significant volume for process servers. In collaboration with the ABC Legal team, Gridiron is focused on leveraging its Centers of Excellence to drive market expansion, diversify end-markets, enhance digital marketing strategies, and foster innovation in new service offerings.

Scott Harrison, Senior Managing Director at Gridiron, said, "We are excited to partner with the premier provider of SOP and broader legal document delivery services as they embark on their next chapter of growth. We look forward to further investing and extending the Company's current technology platform, building on their track record of innovation and leadership within their industry."

Andrew Kahn, Principal at Gridiron, added, "Tim Dinehart and the entire ABC Legal organization should be immensely proud of their success to date, and of the business they have built. From our first meeting with the ABC team, it was evident that we share a strong cultural alignment and common vision for success. We're thrilled to join forces with the ABC Legal team to drive forward that vision for the future."

Matt Woeste, Partner at Aquiline, said, "Our journey with ABC Legal over the past six years has been incredibly rewarding. It has been a privilege partnering with Tim and the ABC Legal team as they have successfully broadened the Company's service offering, enhanced its market-leading technology, and expanded its impressive client base both organically and through acquisitions. We believe ABC Legal is poised for continued growth and wish them success with Gridiron."

Greenberg Traurig LLP served as legal counsel and Houlihan Lokey as financial advisor to Gridiron. Ropes & Gray served as ABC Legal and Aquiline's legal counsel and Harris Williams as financial advisor.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About Gridiron Capital

Gridiron Capital is an investment firm focused on partnering with founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams, and creating value by building middle-market companies into industry-leaders in business services, consumer products & services, and industrial growth segments in the United States and Canada. We help transform growing companies by winning together through hard work, partnerships grounded in shared values and a unique culture that comes from hands-on experience building and running businesses. As a team led by former operators and entrepreneurs, we know what it takes to run successful businesses on a day-to-day basis. Additional information is available on the firm's website: www.gridironcapital.com.

About ABC Legal Services, LLC

ABC Legal Services® is the largest provider of service of process, trusted by over 29,000 clients, including law firms, businesses, government agencies, and individuals. With a 50-year history, ABC Legal offers its expertise in process serving across all U.S. states and 88 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with regional offices nationwide, ABC Legal provides a wide range of services, including service of process, locate services, court document eFiling, and appearance counsel. Additional information available on the Company's website: www.abclegal.com.

About Aquiline Capital Partners

Aquiline Capital Partners LP ("Aquiline") is a private investment firm based in New York, London, and Philadelphia, that is dedicated to financial services and technology. As of June 30, 2025, Aquiline has approximately $13 billion of assets under management across the firm's three strategies in private equity, venture, and credit. Additional information is available on the firm's website: aquiline.com.

Contacts
Gridiron Capital, LLC
Tom Burger
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Contact Us

Aquiline Media Contact:
Apella Advisors, Will Melling
+44 (0)7763 749563, [email protected]

SOURCE Gridiron Capital, LLC