If you have to serve someone with legal papers, it’s vital to do it correctly. You can’t just show up at their house or office and hand them the documents. This act is called process serving, and it’s a delicate process that should be handled by a professional. Many law firms offer their services when it comes to such. Here are various reasons you should let a professional handle process serving operations:
It’s Important to Follow the Rules
If you don’t follow the proper procedures for serving papers, your case could be thrown out of court. A professional process server will know the process’s ins and outs and ensure everything is done correctly. It can be tempting to serve papers yourself, but it’s not worth the risk.
Papers must be explicitly served by someone not involved in the case. The server must also be over 18 years old. If you attempt to serve papers yourself and something goes wrong, you could face charges of contempt of court. It is a serious offense that can result in jail time.
You Might Need to Serve Someone in a Different State
If the person you need to serve lives in another state, the process becomes much more complicated. Each state has different rules about process serving, and you’ll need to hire a professional who is familiar with the state’s laws where the papers will be served. Trying to serve someone in another state by yourself is a recipe for disaster.
Process servers are familiar with the rules of different states and can ensure that papers are served correctly no matter where the person served lives.
The Person You Need to Serve Might be Difficult to Find
If the person you need to serve avoids you, a professional process server will have the necessary tools and resources to find them. Process servers are experienced in finding people, even if they don’t want to be found.
Trying to find someone yourself is a waste of time and money. You could spend hours looking for the person only to come up empty-handed. A professional process server will find the person you need to serve in a fraction of the time it would take you.
You Might Need to Serve Someone Dangerous
Some people might become violent when they are served papers. If you have concerns about the person you need to serve, it’s best to let a professional handle it. Process servers are trained in dealing with difficult and dangerous situations.
You should never put yourself in danger by attempting to serve someone who might be violent. Let the professional process servers handle the situation.
Conclusion
Serving papers is a delicate process that should be handled by a professional. If you attempt to serve papers yourself, you could face charges of contempt of court. A professional process server will know the process’s ins and outs and ensure everything is done correctly.
