6 Qualities to Look for Before Hiring A Process Server
Process servers are individuals who play a crucial role in the legal system. They are responsible for delivering legal documents to the parties involved in a court case. This can include subpoenas, summons, and complaints, among other types of legal paperwork.
Hiring a process server can be a daunting task, especially if you are unfamiliar with the legal system. However, with a little research, you can hire a process server who will provide excellent service. In this post, we’ll go over our top six qualities to look for before hiring a process server. If you want to skip the research and go with Dallas County’s premier process service agency, call Accurate Serve of Dallas at 469-518-9581 or send us a work request online. Continue reading
Can Process Servers Use Technology to Serve Papers?
Some states have struggled to keep up with the times when deciding how process may and may not be served there, but Texas has done better than most. With the enactment of new laws on 1/1/2021, process for certain lower court cases may be served by electronic means, including social media, email, and other technology. This is a revolutionary stance on upholding citizens’ right to due process while also considering the ease and convenience of finding defendants who are only available online.
Approval is Required
While Texas law now allows electronic delivery of process, it still must be approved ahead of time by a judge. This is likely because they do not want electronic delivery to be the first way a process server attempts to make contact with the process recipient. Once the server has made several attempts to locate the recipient in person, assuming they can prove that the recipient is digitally present and available, they may request electronic delivery of process. Continue reading
How to Provide Proof of Process Service
Even after the court process has been handed off to a defendant or witness, the process server’s job still is not complete. The last step of the serving process is completing the proof of service and filing it with the appropriate court. In Texas, this is known as a Return of Service, and it must contain very specific information to be valid. While the return of service should be filed in the original case file at the court, the case is not affected if it is not.
Texas Return of Service Required Contents
In Texas, a valid and complete Return of Service should include: Continue reading
What a Document Retrieval Company Can Do For Your Law Firm
When you operate a law firm, you’re always looking for ways to cut costs and enhance service delivery. You never want to cut salaries or benefits for your employees, so it’s important to make sure you’re being as cost- and time-efficient as possible in other areas. One part of litigating cases that can become a real money and time sink is handling documentation.
Each case requires a unique set of documents. When your firm handles dozens, or even hundreds, of cases at once, all those documents can get misfiled, shuffled around, or even completely lost. That means you have to take time to find the document or request it from the source again, adding time and expense to the entire case.
Stop drowning in paperwork by using the services of a professional document retrieval company, like Accurate Serve of Dallas. We can add value to your law firm with meaningful document retrieval services that: Continue reading
Top Reasons You Should Use a Process Server for Evictions
There’s no doubt about it…evictions are a nightmare. No landlord wants to ever have to evict a tenant, but if you own rental property long enough, it’s going to happen. Landlords have to evict tenants for a wide variety of reasons, including failure to pay rent, damaging the rental property, moving in unauthorized tenants, subleasing or subletting without permission, and more. If you’re a landlord in Dallas, and you’re evicting a tenant for the first time, the process can seem overwhelming.
The Texas Evictions Process
The first step in evicting a tenant is to notify them of your intent to evict them and the reason for said eviction. This notification must be in writing and is known as a Written Notice to Vacate. In almost all cases in Texas, this written notice must give the tenant at least three days to vacate the property, unless their lease or rental agreement specifies a different term. Continue reading
What You Should Not Do When Being Served Papers
Being served by a process server can be an emotional situation. People can be served for a variety of reasons, including divorce, child custody, eviction, foreclosure, to serve as a witness or civil lawsuits. No matter what the reason, it is rare for someone not to be upset that they are being served. However, no matter how upset you may be, there are some things you should never do when being served court papers.
When being served legal paperwork by a process server, you should NOT:
Run Away
This one sometimes happens, and while it is humorous to watch an adult run away, it doesn’t really do anything but delay the entire process. Plus, if the process server hasn’t successfully identified you yet, they will certainly know it’s you when they see you run away. Continue reading
What Types of Papers are Served by Process Servers
According to the Black’s Law Dictionary, service is “the formal delivery of a writ, summons, or other legal process or notice”. Process servers deliver these documents, and more, to their intended recipients every day. Why is this important? Because in the United States, adequate notification of an upcoming requested court appearance is required by the Constitution’s verbiage on due process.
Process servers must follow all Texas laws while serving process, or court documents, to individuals and businesses in the state. While there is no exhaustive list of all the documents that a process server might serve, the most common ones we see here include below…
Civil Summons and Complaints
Civil litigation is by far the most common type of case we deal with here at Accurate Serve® of Dallas. For most civil cases, a minimum of a summons and a copy of the plaintiff’s complaint is delivered to the named defendant(s) in the case. Depending on the specifics of the case, other forms and documents may also be delivered. Continue reading
Everything You Need To Know About Skip Tracing
What is a Skip Trace?
Skip tracing is the process of locating a person’s current whereabouts. The skip tracer will use various methods to locate the person such as public records, social media, and private databases.
Who Can Skip Tracing Find?
Traces can be used to find the legal owners of interest, witnesses, debtors, and anybody else who may help you solve your case. Continue reading
Understanding Skip Tracing
What is Skip Tracing?
Skip tracing is the practice of tracking a person or entity who has purposefully eluded being discovered.
Who Orders a Skip Trace?
Skip traces can be ordered by virtually anyone. Some of the most common requestors of skip traces include: Continue reading
What to Avoid When Serving Divorce Papers
Divorces are stressful and chaotic. Spouses are often taken off guard when being served with divorce papers. The entire experience can be extremely traumatizing, especially if it is sudden. That’s why it’s extremely important for all process servers to handle divorce cases with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity.
Deescalation techniques and safety practices are extremely important in the serving process in divorce cases. Certain actions and statements should be avoided, including: Continue reading