There is a reason why Dr. John Patrick Keefe II is such a successful process server. He has many years of experience and has honed his serving capabilities along the way. If you follow this list of simple guidelines, you too will be a process serving guru.
Be a master of disguise.
John Keefe has been known to don a pair of shades, fake mustache, and a custodian’s uniform to successfully serve a defendant with papers. Don’t believe me? Just ask him and he will tell you himself. Sometimes, you have to disguise who you are to approach the defendant. This holds true if the defendant knows what you look like due to previous attempts to serve him or her. There is no shame in putting on a bunny suit and serving a defendant with court documents during the annual Easter Egg Hunt.
You do not have to physically deliver the papers.
John Keefe II has another article that discusses the ways that you can serve court documents in Oklahoma to a defendant who is on the LAM. Consider reading it! You do not need to put the documents into said defendants hands to serve him or her. You can serve papers via email, nailing them to the defendant’s door, or even via public notification in the local newspaper.
Never put yourself in harm’s way.
Dr. John Patrick Keefe II cannot stress enough how important it is never to enter a situation that poses harm to your well-being. If you see a snarling dog on the premises, avoid walking onto the property. If you get a gut feeling that you are about to get shot, LEAVE. It is never worth serving court papers to someone in a place that puts your life in danger. If you know that a particular defendant is unstable, don’t try to serve him alone. Take another fellow process server with you or at least try to serve him in a public place. Consider a concealed weapons permit for yourself and carrying pepper spray.
Don’t sweat having a wrong address.
Sometimes, you receive a wrong address to where a defendant lives. It is truthfully no big deal and works in your favor as a process server. If you have made multiple good faith attempts to reach the defendant and can prove that you did so, the courts will honor this and a default judgment will be entered against the defendant. So, when a defendant thinks that he or she is sneaky by not supplying a valid address, they are shooting themselves in the foot. It never pays to lie, kids.
Be prepared to see things you do not want to see.
Did you know that process servers see more death than some police officers? This is because the folks you are serving aren’t necessarily living the lifestyle of a wholesome Catholic school girl. Dr. John Patrick Keefe II has walked into many situations where people are passed out, drunk, high on drugs, and even near death. Being a process server is no joke, make sure you are ready to take on the task.
