Lessons Learned from a Process Server

The courageous men and women who work as process servers gain a unique education throughout their careers, especially when it comes to serving recipients who are desperate to avoid service. Below is a compilation of lessons from process servers who have seen it all.

Sometimes Service Has to Be Sneaky

Process servers can’t always walk up to a home, knock on the door, and hand papers to the person who answers. Many people, especially those who know legal trouble is brewing, simply don’t answer the door or carefully screen the people they willingly greet. It is for this reason that many process servers wear specific outfits while they are out on the job, usually to make themselves seem less like a legal official and more like an unthreatening visitor. One process server went so far as to dress up as a car service to serve a man with divorce papers when he arrived at the airport for a vacation with his mistress!

The Recipient Doesn’t Have to Touch the Papers to Accept Them

Serving papers is often about the nuances. As soon as the recipient has been positively identified, and the papers presented, they are considered served whether the recipient holds them or not. Like one process server said after a man refused to pick up his papers, “I”m leaving it on the porch. As long as I’ve identified you and there’s no barrier between us, I can leave it.”

The Job Can Get Dangerous

The recent death of a process server after she was attacked by dogs on the property she served reminded the process service community of the true dangers of their job description. But territorial dogs are far from the only threats to process servers each day. When recipients are angry or fearful about their process of service, they often become violent by pulling out guns, kicking, and throwing hard objects. It’s critical that process servers pay very close attention to their surroundings and use protection as needed.