One of the most important parts of any procedure in an administrative or legal court is informing the people involved of their rights and responsibilities. Process service is the legal term for providing a person named in a court case with the required legal documents.
Situations that may require process service include divorce filings, civil lawsuits, and other legal actions. Common types of documents that are “served” include subpoenas, legal complaints, court documents, and summonses.
What Is Process Service?
Federal regulations (Due Process of Law) require that every party involved in a legal procedure must be informed of their inclusion. While the requirement for process service comes from the federal government, each state has its own laws that cover the details of the procedure.
Generally, the person or entity that completes the process service must provide some level of proof that the documents were served. In South Carolina, the process server must make a notarized affidavit of the service and include details, such as the date, time, and location. If it is not possible to locate the individual to whom the papers must be served, the server must complete certain steps to prove due diligence.
Can You Serve Papers Yourself?
If you are initiating a legal action, such as filing for divorce or beginning a lawsuit, the law prohibits you from serving papers yourself. Generally, you may not be involved in process service for any case to which you are a party.
Since you may not serve papers yourself, there are other options. South Carolina law provides four means of process service:
- Your county’s sheriff’s department
- The U.S. Postal Service
- A private process server
- Publications
All of these options generally require some sort of fee. In most cases, the easiest method is to hire a private process server, such as Global Investigative Services. A trained professional understands all the legal requirements involved in process service, which is essential. Mistakes during process service may damage your legal case. A private process server can document the transaction correctly and create a notarized affidavit as required by law.
By hiring a process server, you avoid adding to the workload of your local law enforcement agency. While mailing the papers may seems simple, you must use specific options (Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested, Restricted Delivery), and then after you get the delivery verification, you must create an affidavit and get it notarized. The publication method is generally only used if process service cannot be completed in another manner.
GIS Provides Reputable and Professional Process Service
When you need to serve legal papers, contact Global Investigative Services. Our trained professionals are former law enforcement officers with years of experience in all aspects of the legal process. You can enjoy several unique benefits when you work with GIS:
- Honest, dependable, and ethical process service
- Updates as your job progresses
- Availability for time-sensitive requests
- Service in both North Carolina and South Carolina
- Thorough documentation, evidence of service, and notarized affidavits
- Use of body cameras to verify compliance with legal requirements
When you trust GIS for process service, you can count on us to handle your case with discretion and professionalism. We’ll do everything we can to serve papers quickly and efficiently. Give us a call or use our online form to get more information about our Process Service.
