Important Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Process Server
Before you ever file your civil case in a Michigan court, you need to be thinking about how you’re going to find a reputable process server to serve the defendants and witnesses. Now, you could just go ahead and save yourself some time by making a call to Accurate Serve®, Detroit’s premier process service agency. Our servers meet the strictest standards, so you’ll never worry about improper service derailing your case. Call us at (313) 385-3703 or send us your service requests online to get started today.
Even if you hire one of our talented, competent servers for your process needs, you should always ask the following questions:
Are you eligible to serve civil process in Michigan?
While Michigan does not have a process server certification program, it does have a few very basic rules to determine server eligibility:
- Process servers must be at least 18 years old
- Process servers must not be a party in the case for which they are serving process
Also, it’s important to note that if the process being served requires arrest, the seizure of property, or service on a person living in a government institution, there are special rules that apply and only law enforcement or specially designated people can legally serve the process.
What relevant experience do you have?
No matter if you’re an individual filing a single case or an attorney who files hundreds of cases each year, you don’t have time to deal with mishaps due to the inexperience of the process server. Reputable process servers should be able to provide you with references verifying their experience in the field. If they are just getting started, ask for documentation of school or other training. If they can’t provide either, or there are large gaps between school and jobs that they cannot explain, you’ll probably be best moving on to the next candidate.
What about proof of service?
Michigan’s Rules of Civil Procedure, Chapter 2, requires that process servers maintain valid proof of service each time they serve an individual. For private process servers, proof of service must include a written statement of the facts of service, verified under MCR 1.109(D)(3), to include:
- manner of service
- time of service
- date of service
- place of service (must be described by giving the address where the service was made or, if the service was not made at a particular address, by another description of the location)
- indications of the process server’s official capacity, if any
A reputable process server will always have a straightforward procedure in place for obtaining and filing proof of service with you and the court. Be sure to ask how this will work. At Accurate Serve®, we provide written proof of service to our clients and the court system. We also provide our clients with 24/7 access to our online status tracker, so you can always see the status of each case we are actively working on.
How much do you charge?
Pricing is something you should always inquire about before beginning a relationship with a process server. Pricing will typically vary depending on the complexity of the case. Evasion of the server or having to deal with complex corporate structures will make the total cost of service rise. Luckily, when a defendant or witness actively avoids a process server, they are usually left responsible for paying the associated service fees.
You can manage service costs by being sure to provide the process server with accurate, detailed information about all intended process recipients. The less time the server has to spend researching and finding the recipient(s), the lower your bill will be.
Reputable Process Servers in Detroit
Keep your case on schedule and on budget with competent service of process by Detroit’s premier process service agency, Accurate Serve®. Need other auxiliary legal services, like document retrievals or a skip trace? We do that too! Just call (313) 385-3703 or send us your service requests online today!