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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) |
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What is Search-For-Servers.com?
Search-For-Servers.com is the
Internet's fastest growing directory
of process servers, private
investigators, and other legal aid
support services. Lawyers, legal
assistants, private individuals,
attorneys, paralegals, and corporate
legal teams use our directory of
process servers to find the right
individual or company that offers
the legal support services they
need. Our process server directory
spans all fifty of the United
States, Washington DC, Guam, Puerto
Rico, and is growing
internationally, with a worldwide
directory in the works. Many of the
companies and individuals listed on
Search-For-Servers.com are complete
one stop, full service attorney and
legal support firms that provide a
wide variety of legal services. Some
of the many services the process
servers listed on
Search-For-Servers.com offer include
Process Service, Eviction
Specialists, Executions,
Repossessions, Certificate of Liens,
Courier Service, Court Filings,
Property Foreclosures, Personal
Protection Orders, Small Claims
Specialists, Skip Traces -
Background, Domestic Relations
Cases, Document Retrieval, Private
Investigations, Surveillance, Public
and Court Records Searches, and
much, much more.
Search-For-Servers.com is here to
help you get the legal support you
need, quickly and easily.
Learn
more about Search-For-Servers.com |
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What is a Process Server?
A process server is a person
employed to deliver a summons or
complaint to a person being sued or
to deliver a subpoena to a witness.
This delivery, or serving, is known
as the service of process, or
process service.
Legal process servers serve
(deliver) legal documents such as
summons, complaints, subpoenas,
orders to show cause, writs, and
other court documents to an
individual that is involved in a
court case. The legal document(s)
must be served by the process server
in accordance with the rules and
laws in the area, county, or state
that the service is being performed
in. Service is considered when the
documents are personally handed to
the defendant, or when the defendant
cannot be served personally,
sub-serving to someone in the same
household or business. After serving
the documents, a process server must
complete an Affidavit of Service,
which is also called a Proof of
Service. This Affidavit or Proof of
Service verifies that the papers
were served by the process server.
It must be notarized and returned to
the party that requested service.
Learn more about
Process Servers and Process Serving
Search
for Process Servers by Area, County,
State, or Nationwide
Learn how to become
a process server in our Free
Process Server Information section. |
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What is
Service of Process?
Service of process is the service of
writs, summonses, subpoenas, and
other court documents. The act
signifies the delivering to or
leaving of such documents with the
party to whom, or with whom, they
ought to be delivered or left. When
they are so delivered, they are then
said to have been served.
A more formal way to look at the
service of process is the procedure
employed to give legal notice to the
person (defendant, etc.) of a court
or administrative body proceeding,
to the person that the document is
directed to. This enables the person to respond
to the proceeding before the court,
body or other tribunal. Usually,
notice is furnished by delivering a
set of court documents (summons,
complaints, subpoenas, orders to
show cause, writs, and other court
documents) to the person
to be served.
Search
for Process Servers by Area, County,
State, or Nationwide |
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When
do I need a Process Server?
Legal documents cannot be served by
someone who is involved in the case
or legal proceeding the document
pertains to. With that in mind, most
states allow any adult over the age
of eighteen (18) years old, that is
not a party to the case, or a member
of a corporation or organization
that is a party, to serve (deliver)
the papers. Some states do require
process servers to be licensed, and
so, you will need a legal process
server. A list of the states that
require process servers to be
licensed can be viewed
here. We also suggest you view
the
process
serving laws (rules of civil
procedure) in your state to find
out more requirements and
restrictions on who can be a process
server.
Though your state, or the state
the you require process service in,
does not require process servers to
be licensed, it is still a smart
choice to hire a professional
process server to serve your papers.
Professional process servers are
experienced and possess the
knowledge of the rules and laws
surrounding service of process in
their state or county. Because the
restrictions and requirements for
serving legal documents vary from
state to state, and county to
county, you should hire a
professional
process server for your process
serving needs.
By choosing a professional legal
process server to properly deliver
your court documents, you are
helping ensure that the service is
performed in accordance with the
law. If the service of process is
not correctly performed, your case
may not go forward, or it may even
be dismissed. Improper service also
delays evidence collection and
obtainment, which can lead to
injunctions, increasing court and
attorney fees.
Search
for Process Servers by Area, County,
State, or Nationwide |
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Who can be a Process Server?
Legal documents cannot be served by
someone who is involved in the case
or legal proceeding the document
pertains to. With that in mind, most
states allow any adult over the age
of eighteen (18) years old, that is
not a party to the case, or a member
of a corporation or organization
that is a party, to serve (deliver)
the papers. Some states do require
process servers to be licensed, and
so, you will need a legal process
server. A list of the states that
require process servers to be
licensed can be viewed
here. We also suggest you view
the
process
serving laws (rules of civil
procedure) in your state to find
out more requirements and
restrictions on who can be a process
server.
Click here to
view Process Serving Laws / Rules of
Civil Procedure in any State,
Washington DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico
Learn more about
Process Servers and Process Serving
Learn
how to become a process server in
our Free Process Server Information
section. |
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What states require Process Servers
to be licensed? Only
certain states require a process
server to be licensed. The following
states require a process server to
be licensed. This list may change
from time to time, as the
laws of each
state change.
Check the laws of your state to
check whether your state requires
process servers to be licensed.
Click here to
view Process Serving Laws / Rules of
Civil Procedure in any State,
Washington DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico
Search
for licensed Process Servers by Area, County,
State, or Nationwide |
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What is an Affidavit / Proof of
Service?
An Affidavit of Service, also called
a Proof of Service, is a signed
statement, or document, submitted by
a process server to the court as
evidence of successful service of
process to a party in a court case
or legal proceeding. This statement
is generally attached to the court
document, then filled out by the
process server, and returned to you
upon successfully serving your
documents. To find an Affidavit /
Proof of Service for your state,
please visit our
Free Process Server Forms
section. There you will find proofs
of service for all fifty states in
the US, plus Washington DC, Guam,
and Puerto Rico.
Free Process Server Forms for all
fifty states in the US, plus
Washington DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico
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What happens if someone evades
service, or cannot be found?
Depending on the
laws of process service in your
state, the individual or party named
in the documents may be served in a
variety of ways. First, the named
party can be served through
publication in a local newspaper.
Another option that various states
allow is 'substitute service', which
is where an individual, who is not
the person named in the document, is
served. This method is the least
common, and should not be used
unless the named party cannot be
personally served. When 'substitute
service' is used, it must become
part of the 'due diligence' of the
case or legal proceeding.
Click here to
view Process Serving Laws / Rules of
Civil Procedure in any State,
Washington DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico
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What if someone refuses service, not
accepting the documents?
Quite often, an individual being
served does not need to accept
service for it to be seen as
sufficient or effective. Depending
on your
state's
process serving laws, you may
need a signature, or you may be able
to simply leave the papers at the
individual's feet. View the
rules of civil
procedure / process serving laws
in your state, Washington DC, Guam,
or Puerto Rico for more information.
Click here to
view Process Serving Laws / Rules of
Civil Procedure in any State,
Washington DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico
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What are the laws of Process Service
in my state? Search-For-Servers.com strives to
keep our list of
process servers laws as up to date as
possible, however, service of
process laws change as states deem
necessary. As laws change, so will
the laws listed on our website. We
advise you to review the website of
your state's Judicial Branch,
Supreme Court, or State Courts. A
listing of these websites can be
found in the
Court Information section of our
website.
Click here to
view Process Serving Laws / Rules of
Civil Procedure in any State,
Washington DC, Guam, and Puerto Rico
Search
for Professional Process Servers by Area, County,
State, or Nationwide |
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What associations are there for
Process Servers?
There are many process server
associations throughout the country.
The largest association is the
National Association of Professional
Process Servers (NAPPS). Many states
have an association as well, with
some being chartered state
associations of NAPPS. To view a
listing of associations and industry
links,
click here.
Process
Server Associations / Industry Links
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Where can I find court information?
A listing of state court websites
can be found in the
Court Information section of our
website. Search-For-Servers.com strives to
keep our listing of
state court
websites as up to date as
possible, however, this listing will
change as court websites are updated. As
links change, so will
the links listed on our website. In
this section, you will find useful
links to the websites for each
state's Judicial Branch, Supreme
Court, or State Courts. You will
also find links to court websites
for Puerto Rico and Guam.
Free State
Court Information (plus Washington
DC, Puerto Rico,
and Guam)
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How do I become a Process Server?
Would you like to become a process
server? Would you like to know more
about what it takes to become one?
If so, browse the 'Become
a Process Server' section of
Search-For-Servers.com Our entire
site is tailored to the process
server industry, and is a trusted
source of information throughout the
profession. Use the various
tools and
free
information found on
Search-For-Servers.com to learn more
about this growing industry.
Learn more about
Process Servers and Process Serving
Learn how to become
a process server in our Free
Process Server Information section. |
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