Every litigation attorney faces a critical choice: to hire the Sheriff’s department or hire a private process server. Many upset clients choose the Sheriff office in the first place, assuming that cost saving and official authority will serve their legal documents with efficiency. However, OKC and nationwide professional process servers know all too well the plight of clients who experienced disappointment when that decision cost their case dearly. Furthermore, sheriffs have many additional responsibilities that do not involve civil process serving, such as criminal investigations, jail management, and courtroom security. Additionally, all of these competing priorities lead to dangerous delays, so the case deadlines and client satisfaction suffer greatly. Therefore, knowing these seven stories from clients who are upset explains why it is of greater importance to hire professional process servers in Oklahoma City than the assumed savings in cost.
Story One: The Failure of Three Attempts
Maria hired the Sheriff’s department to serve her ex-spouse with papers for modification of custody orders. She paid for the filing fee and waited, holding her breath. However, weeks passed without any word from the Sheriff’s office on whether there had been service attempts or progress. When Maria did finally call, she found that the Sheriff had made three calls- all during standard 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours, when her ex-spouse was predictably at work. The papers remained unserved as the date for the hearing approached dangerously close. A private process server near me would make evening and weekend attempts when the defendant is more likely to be home. Maria’s case faced potential dismissal because the Sheriff did not provide proper service within the potential timeframes. She had to eventually hire a private process server at further expense, as she learned that the three-times limitation of the Sheriff’s was inadequate to her situation.
Story Two: The Communication Vacuum of Silence
James required his business partner to serve with the breach of contract papers before suing. He tried to contact the Sheriff’s office and submitted his paperwork. Days went into weeks with absolutely zero communication pertaining to the status of service or progress. James couldn’t get in touch with the Sheriff’s office with simple questions about the service they had attempted. And when he finally learned that service had failed, precious litigation time had disappeared. A process server near me keeps constant communication with the client, giving real-time updates on attempts, places visited, strategic changes, etc. James found out too late that the professional process servers offer responsive communications, which is never possible for Sheriff’s offices overloaded by their workload.
Story Three: The Priority Collision
Sarah was dealing with a law firm that had a personal injury case for which prompt service was needed. The attorney filed documents with the Sheriff’s office, believing in their authority and efficiency. However, the Sheriff’s department focused more on criminal cases, warrants, and jail operations than on civil process serving. Sarah’s service request was in a queue with dozens of other cases and received little attention. Meanwhile, her deadlines for her case compressed. Eventually, the law firm hired a professional process server, and they completed service within three days – a demonstration of the law difference between sheriff service and private service. Sarah’s case proceeded successfully; however, she learned that civil process serving is farthest down the Sheriff’s competing duties list.
Story Four: The Evasive Defendant Scenario
Robert’s ex-spouse even tried to avoid the Sheriff’s attempt by staying at work during business hours. The Sheriff attempted to serve these papers three times and returned them without service, saying that they couldn’t pursue more aggressive versions of locate and serve. Robert reached out to a process server in my area that used skip tracing methods, interviewed neighbors, and, due to their research, they were able to pick up numerous patterns considering when the defendant would be home. The private server completed successful service in two weeks, where the Sheriff had totally failed. Robert knew that professional process servers have a specialized expertise and determination that simply cannot be found in Sheriff’s deputies, who are juggling myriad responsibilities.
Story Five: Missed the Deadline of the Court
Jennifer turned in documents for service to the Sheriff three weeks before her family law hearing. She assumed the deadline did provide for a comfortable margin. However, the Sheriff didn’t try to do service until just days before the hearing. Service failed, and Jennifer appeared at court with no proof of service – a potentially disastrous situation. The judge agreed to a continuance, but Jennifer’s case was put off another three months. A private process server near me would have prioritized her timeline and attempted service immediately, etc, and completed within days. Jennifer’s family members were subject to extended periods of stress and uncertainty because Jennifer chose the Sheriff’s office based on perceived cost savings.
Story Six: The Complicated Service Requirements
David had to serve a corporation for which there were special legal requirements with regard to designated service. The Sheriff’s office had no specialized knowledge regarding corporate service rules and delivered documents to a receptionist, and not the authorized agent. The court decided against the service as an improper service, so David was required to refile and service again. A professional process server in Oklahoma City is familiar with complicated service requirements involving corporations, government, and out-of-state parties. David eventually saw that paying twice as much for work that initially should have succeeded, for proper service, a process server.
Story Seven: To succeed, that unresponsive Department
Michelle made several calls to the Sheriff’s office requesting status updates on their case for service. The people in the Sheriff’s department were not helpful- They told me that they didn’t have any information available, and that they couldn’t make any commitments about timelines. Michelle was completely in the dark as far as the progress of her case. Meanwhile, she had a lawyer seeking extensions of time, with additional court costs and client anger! A process server close to me focuses on clients as valuable partners and gives them regular updates and transparency during the service process.
Why Professional Process Servers Matter
These seven stories show why process servers near me in Oklahoma City, Edmond, and Norman provide better service than Sheriff’s departments. Professional servers prioritize civil process, make several calls, including evenings and weekends, maintain constant communication, and have specialized legal knowledge. Survey data shows 58 per cent of legal professionals believe that process servers have better knowledge than sheriffs.
Conclusion
When clients select Sheriff’s departments in hopes of saving money, they are often compromising in terms of speed, communication, and success rates. Process servers near me save these costly mistakes with professional and dedicated service. Your litigation deadlines are too much for the sheriff department delays.
Contact us here at our professional process servers in Oklahoma City today: Phone: (405)-434-5746, Email: admin@ojpslegal.com
