The Role of a Process Server in the Legal System
In any legal case, there are several documents that need to be delivered to the involved parties, which include lawyers, clients, and witnesses. The responsibility of delivering these documents often falls on the shoulders of a process server, whose job is to ensure that everyone gets the necessary documents pertaining to the ongoing legal case.
Although process servers don’t usually get the limelight they deserve, their work is crucial in the legal system. In this blog, we will take a look into the crucial role of process servers and why lawyers and paralegals cannot function without them.
Who are Process Servers?
Process servers are individuals who serve legal documents, such as subpoenas, summons, complaints, or divorce papers, to the intended recipients. They can be appointed by the court or selected by law firms, businesses, or individuals, and their primary role is to ensure that legal documents are served in accordance with the rules laid down by the court.
The Importance of Process Servers
Process servers play a vital role in the legal system. Without their services, lawyers and paralegals would have to deliver the legal documents themselves or rely on the post office, which is not always reliable or as efficient. The process servers at Pro Legal, for example, can serve requests as quickly as one to three business days.
Moreover, the personal touch of a process server ensures that legal documents are served in a timely and accurate manner. This, in turn, helps lawyers and paralegals to proceed with the legal case, which otherwise would not be possible.
How Process Servers Make Lawyer's & Paralegal's Work Easier
Time, accuracy, and legal requirements are of the essence when serving all types of documents. Process servers help lawyers and paralegals in various ways by ensuring papers are served as quickly and reliably as possible and by going the extra mile to stay in compliance with court regulations and special requests.
Process servers facilitate easier work for lawyers and paralegals by
- Serving documents: As mentioned earlier, the primary role of a process server is to serve legal documents. This frees up time for lawyers and paralegals to focus on other aspects of the legal case.
- Collecting signatures: Process servers also collect signatures from the intended recipient, which is often required by the court. This ensures that the legal documents were served to the correct person, and the signature serves as proof of service.
- Tracking and reporting: Process servers also track and report the service of legal documents to the court. This is important for lawyers and paralegals to ensure that the legal case proceeds without any hiccups.
- Courthouse and e-filing: When case documents are ready to be filed with the court, process servers can also be used as a courier service, delivering those documents and returning the conformed copies to the legal team, which again frees up time for all parties.
The Diligence Process Servers Show When Serving
Process servers have to show diligence and perseverance when serving legal documents. They have to ensure that the documents are delivered to the correct person, and if they are not present at the given address, the process server has to go the extra mile to locate them, even if that means across the country.
Process servers often use several tactics, such as stakeouts, to ensure that the intended recipient receives the legal documents. In some situations, this may even require skip tracing, which uses various methods and technology to track down individuals who are hard to find or who are intentionally avoiding being served.
Additionally, process servers have to be fully educated on legal requirements when serving at the local through state and federal levels. Sometimes legal teams will provide special instructions on when and how to serve papers to individuals, and these details have to be followed precisely.
The process servers at Pro Legal maintain an error-free serving profile and give their full attention to all legal and special requirements while serving.
Rely on Pro Legal for Your Support Service Needs
With nearly 30 years of experience, our team has made it our mission to provide you or your law firm with prompt, to-the-letter process services. Using advanced technology, like GPS tracking and instant details submitted on all local service attempts, and instant communication through our free client portal, our professionals ensure delivery services that can’t be beaten.
We develop adaptive solutions that adhere to all procedural statutes and specifications so you will always be able to push your case forward sooner.
Submit a service request online and hear back from our team in three minutes or less to begin your service of process. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us online or call 612-860-5844.