What is the best type of Process Server?

May 12th, 2008

What qualities do you like best about your process server?

1 – Ability to serve anywhere in the UK?

2 – Price?

3 – Ability to trace the servee in the event that they have moved on or are evading service?

4 – Ability to serve same day (if required)?

5 – Ability to serve outside normal working hours?

6 – Effectiveness

While all the above are important to an instructing solicitor, price is probably the least important according to my research. Most solicitors would tend to put it last.

The best type of Process Server is one who has a combination of all six abilities as described above.

Posted in Process Services | No Comments »

What’s the difference between a Private Investigator and a Process Server?

April 5th, 2008

The government (in the form of the SIA) has been wrestling with the definition and still isn’t sure. You see they are trying to license Private Investigators in the UK and in order to do that they have to define what they do.

In all their definitions, what is clear is that a Process Server is not one. As far as I’m aware, a Process Server will not need a SIA license.

Often a Private investigator is also a process server. The main difference is that a PI will be able to carryout investigations and inquiries while a process server will not. They will only be able to serve process. No house to house inquiries, no tracing if the person is not at the address specified.

Posted in Private Investigator, Process Services | No Comments »

Prohibited Steps Order on a Friday night

January 5th, 2008

There I was getting ready for a nice Friday night when the telephone rings at five to five in the afternoon. A barrister, no less on the other end of the phone. Wants to know if it’s possible to serve a court order on the hurry tonight, before 9pm?

“yes” I tell him, “no problem” one of my Process Servers will do it.

So at 8pm I am in the middle of the east end knocking on someone’s door and would you believe it, there’s no one home. I’ll have to go back tomorrow!

But why are these Court Orders always obtained on a Friday afternoon and why do they always have to be served on the hurry? What’s wrong with Tuesday or Wednesday?

Posted in Process Services | No Comments »

Process Server or just glorified courier?

December 15th, 2007

I was thinking this week about the role of the Process Server. Are we just professionals or just a glorified courier service. I mean some process servers are out there selling themselves for a pittance. In today’s climate with licensing just around the corner and at the end of the 2007, it’s time we started to really value ourselves and charge the client a real professional fee equivalent to what the job is actually worth. What do yo think?

Posted in Process Services | No Comments »

Process Servers London deliver legal documents

May 31st, 2007

“You’re served.”

Those are two words many people don’t want to hear, but they are the words from which Jorge Salgado-Reyes and his process servers make their livings.

As London based process servers, Jorge Salgado-Reyes and his firm Salgado Investigations deliver important legal documents to people who are supposed to appear in court — people who sometimes don’t want these important legal documents.

A legal process server delivers legal documents such as writs, summons, subpoenas, complaints and other court documents to a defendant or an individual involved in a court case.

But they don’t just serve people to appear in court.

“We deliver all kinds of legal documents,” Jorge said. “We deliver a number of Solicitor’s documents, letters and personal records in child support and divorce cases.”

Sheriff’s deputies can serve individuals. So can anyone 16 years old or older who is not a party to the case and who has been designated by the court to complete the service of process. Legal documents also can be shipped by registered post.

Solicitors and individuals often seek our process servers because they can perform the duty more quickly than others can, Jorge said.

“An advantage to using the Salgado Investigation’s process servers is we’re paid to make sure that document is served — no matter how difficult it is to locate that person,” he said.

“In my case, I take it very personally. If it takes a little extra time to do it, I will. I take pride in it.”

In the personal process serving businesses, Jorge’s Investigation Agency has seen their fair share of strange occurrences when trying to serve someone. Jorge said women typically take being served personally and sometimes can respond with a vengeance.

“Women are the ones who want to get even,” he said. “When divorce papers are served … then they want to call around and find out who the other woman is.”

Jorge recently encountered a peculiar situation when he had to serve a couple an ASBO – Anti-Social Behaviour Order. Serving the one half of the couple was easy but now the other half spent a lot of energy evading us. Ultimately, he had to leave the house to go to work so we served him on his way to his car.

“A lot of people get real personal with process service,” Jorge said. “They want you to serve them when the person’s at work or in a public place. They’ll ask us to humiliate them. We get that a lot.”

But, that’s not the intent with personal process servers.

“We don’t try to embarrass them,” Jorge said. “A lot of times the defendant or plaintiff in a case will want to use a personal process server,” he said. “If it’s a cordial thing and they’re not sworn enemies, they want to be more discreet about it. “

Then there are the cases in which people simply do not want to be served.

Jorge said the law makes it hard for someone to refuse to be served.

“You can drop it at their feet (and say) ‘You’re served,’” Jorge said. “You don’t have to hand it to them.” Or alternatively if they don’t answer the door, we can post through the door as an alternate service.

Posted in Process Services | No Comments »