Whenever anyone initiates a civil lawsuit against someone else, they will need to “serve” that person with papers. To “serve” someone generally means to have a copy of the complaint you have filed delivered to them. A party in a case cannot serve someone else. Process servers must do the job. Service is required because every person who is a party to a lawsuit has a right to have notice of that lawsuit.
Sometimes, you can arrange for the local Sheriff’s department to serve an opposing party. This only works, however, if you know where to find a person and when they will be at that location. Sheriffs usually do not attempt service more than once. Although having someone served by the Sheriff is cost-effective, it isn’t always successful. You may find yourself having to pay for a private process server in addition to the Sheriff’s fees if the Defendant in the case can’t be located on a single try.
Hiring a Process Server
When deciding whether to hire a private process server, ask yourself this simple question: Do I know where the Defendant will be at an exact time?
If the answer is “Yes,” then you can likely have the Sheriff serve the Defendant. If the answer is either “No” or “Maybe,” then a private process server is your best option.
Private process servers are skilled at their jobs, which sometimes require attempting service on multiple occasions and at several different locations. Process servers may also act as private investigators when a Defendant can’t be found. In fact, private process servers use techniques called “skip traces,” which allows them to compile information from several sources in order to track down a hard-to-serve Defendant.
Other Process Server Uses
For litigants who may simply need court documents filed, process servers also perform document retrieval services for any person who is a party to litigation. This eliminates the need to figure out filing procedures as well as saves a trip to a busy courthouse. Contact your local process server agency to learn more information.
