Can Someone Else Accept Served Papers?
All the rules related to the serving process in Florida can be difficult to keep up with, especially since they can differ from county to county. Generally speaking, process should always be served to the person named in the documents, in person, or to another person residing in the same home who is over 15 years old. However, this isn’t always possible. That’s why the state of Florida has passed laws governing the process server industry here. Included in these laws is how to handle situations where the person named in the process documents cannot be served in person. In this post, we’ll discuss the situations where serving someone other than the named process recipient is acceptable.
Serving a Spouse
Serving the spouse of the person named in the process documents, as long as the court proceedings are not adversarial between the two parties and they both live in the same dwelling, is acceptable. This service does not have to occur at the shared home. Continue reading
What is Skip Tracing?
Skip tracing is a process that is used to locate a person or entity who has intentionally avoided being located by the individual or entity initiating the search.
Who Can Be Located with a Skip Trace?
Skip traces may help locate legal persons of interest, witnesses, debtors, or anybody else. Continue reading
How to Effectively Serve Process
To be an efficient process server, you must be organized, attentive to details, and avoid procrastination. Prioritizing efficiency while serving allows you to complete as many services as possible in one day/shift while still maintaining a high level of professionalism. This will keep your clients happy and turn them into repeat customers.
Follow these tips to serve process as efficiently as possible:
Follow the Rules
It’s not enough to just know the laws and rules around process service in Florida…you must follow those laws and rules as well. Florida has very strict rules about who can serve process and how the process may be served, and it’s your responsibility as a process server to know all of those rules. Your local area, such as the county or judicial circuit where you intend to serve, may also have their own rules for process servers, so be sure to check there as well. Continue reading
Traits of a Good Process Server
When you need a process server to handle the process for your cases, you want to make sure you’re hiring the absolute best option possible. Improper service can derail your entire case, from causing major delays to complete dismissal.
So what should you look for when searching for a process server? The best process servers will be:
Effective
The entire point of process service is serving parties of criminal and civil cases, whether they be defendants, witnesses, or other case stakeholders. A good process server will have a high personal service rate, meaning that they are able to find and serve the majority of their targets in person and on schedule. Only a few of their cases should use alternative services like substitution or publication. Continue reading
April Newsletter 2022
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Important Steps to Follow to File a Lawsuit
If you believe someone owes you money, it’s natural to want to get back what you feel is rightfully yours. In Pensacola, you can file a lawsuit in civil court to get your money back. In this post, we go over the steps to filing a civil lawsuit in Escambia County:
Do Your Research
You’ll need some information and documentation before you file your civil lawsuit. You must clearly detail the amount you are owed and provide evidence to support your claim, such as receipts, invoices, promissory notes, contracts, etc. You also need complete information about the person or company you are suing, including their full legal name and address. Continue reading
February Newsletter 2022
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Why Process Server are Essential to the Legal Process
If you’ve ever heard of process serving before, you may be wondering why the state of Florida has such strict requirements on who can be a process server, what they can do, and how they must approach finding targets. Not only do they have strict rules to protect both the process server and the person being served, but it is also ingrained in our national culture that people must be given ample opportunity to prepare for court, which means they must also be notified promptly of upcoming court dates.
Process servers are essential to the legal system because:
They Help Uphold Your Constitutional Rights
Process servers are not just there to make life hard for you, they are actually protecting your constitutional rights. The Bill of Rights guarantees due process for Americans, and process servers provide just that with timely notification of upcoming court dates. This gives everyone time to prepare for the court battle and bring their best argument forward. Continue reading
January Newsletter 2022
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What is a Process Server?
Simply put, a process server is a person who hand delivers court case documents to the parties named in the case. Without some context, this definition may seem a little confusing. Why would you need some random person to deliver your case documents? Why can’t you just do it yourself? Is using a process server even required?
In Pensacola, it’s not a matter of choice; anyone filing a lawsuit must use either the sheriff’s office or a certified and approved private process server to deliver their case documents to everyone named in the case, including the defendant(s), witnesses, and other parties. Continue reading