Initiating a legal action or sending a legal notice can seem like a stressful undertaking. One way to reduce stress and ensure proper service is to use a professional process server. Here are 5 of important reasons to enlist professional help with serving legal documents.

1. Avoid Conflict

Litigation can be contentious. It’s preferable to avert negative interaction with an opposing party by having a process server deliver important legal documents.

2. Obtain Proof of Service

In any type of civil litigation, a plaintiff must demonstrate that the defendant received notice of an action or legal motion. In order to do this, a plaintiff needs to provide a court with proof of service. A professional process server’s affidavit of service establishes clear and convincing proof of service.

3. Prevent Having a Default Judgment in Your Favor Vacated

If you initiate a legal action or bring a legal motion against someone and they fail to appear in court, you will likely receive a default judgment in your favor. However, opposing parties can challenge default judgments and have them vacated if they successfully convince the court that they never received notice of the action or motion. If you have proof of service from a process server, the court will not be likely to accept an opposing party’s assertion that notice was not received.

4. Use a Reliable Method of Service Instead of Relying on the Mail

Some legal documents can be served by first class or registered mail. However, it’s important to understand that this form of service may not be adequate. Your document could go to the wrong address, and registered mail could be signed for by someone who is not the actual addressee.

5. Ensure Compliance with Service Deadlines

Certain types of legal notice need to be served a certain amount of days before a legal hearing can be scheduled. Working with a process server will help to ensure that your documents will be served on time.