Choosing a Process Server Instead of a Sheriff

Legal battles and lawsuits have become a fact of life, leading people across the country to need service of process. Service of process is the act of providing the defendant in a legal case with the proper paperwork notifying him that action is being taken against him and he must defend himself. Given that many people don’t want to be served, this can be a tricky task.

Service of Process was originally performed by sheriffs, but placing this duty solely on the law enforcement resulted in an unwanted court burden. Legislation recently changed to allow qualified people outside of the courts to serve papers. These people are now called private process servers, and they promise quick, efficient, and legally recognized service of process assistance to their clients.

If you find yourself needing papers served for any reason, it may be a wise choice to choose a process server instead of a sheriff to deliver your papers.

Speed of Service A recent study found that process servers are able to serve papers faster than sheriffs in 90 percent of situations. Sheriffs have many other roles, like making arrests, providing traffic control, investigating accidents, and assisting in prisoner transportation. These tasks can easily distract and delay sheriffs from serving papers promptly, whereas private process servers must ensure quick service in order to please paying clients and earn a positive reputation.

Customer Service Since private process servers know they can be easily replaced if their services are not up to par, they tend to provide more reliable and satisfactory customer service than sheriffs, who receive their salaries regardless.

Knowledge of Laws While sheriffs are undoubtedly knowledgeable about service laws and procedures, private process servers make this area of expertise their living and cannot earn money if they do not successfully navigate the laws. A survey of popular opinion found that 58 percent of people feel that private process servers have more knowledge in the area of service of process.

Hiring a private process server comes with many benefits that allow you to rest easy knowing that your papers will be served professionally, expediently, and successfully.