The best process servers complete their assigned jobs within the confines of the law. The Superior Court of Fulton County, Georgia, oversees process servers in Atlanta. Knowing the rules and regulations governing the service of process can be the difference between getting someone a fair settlement or possibly discrediting their entire case. To be a better process server in Atlanta, you must:
- Meet all legal requirements to be a process server. This is important because if the party being served can prove that you were not eligible to serve process when service took place, it can have serious consequences for the case’s outcome. To serve process in Fulton County, you must:
- Be at least 18 years of age;
- Be a US citizen; and,
- No convictions or pending charges for felonies, impersonating a peace officer, domestic violence, a crime of moral turpitude, a serious traffic offense, or driving under the influence.
- Follow Fulton County’s Code of Conduct for process servers. Fulton County has developed its own set of standards for servers of process in and around Atlanta. These include:
- Treating all parties with respect;
- Refraining from threatening and abusive behavior;
- Avoiding all physical contact with the party to be served;
- Refraining from threatening or vulgar language;
- Never forcibly entering any home, business, or other property;
- Not serving process while under the influence of drugs or alcohol; and,
- Not carrying weapons or firearms except as allowed by law.
Failure to follow Fulton County’s code of conduct may result in an investigation into your practices and possible removal as a process server. This can have a domino effect, giving served parties grounds for dismissal in cases that aren’t even related to the case in question.
- Gather and review all relevant information before beginning each case. It’s important to know everything about the party being served so you can plan for quick and efficient service. Being unprepared in this field can lead to costly and embarrassing mistakes.
- Leverage all your resources. Using the name of the party being served in casual conversation will make your job easier since people will often respond to their name by instinct. While most states don’t allow full-blown disguises, using a prop like a pizza box or food delivery bag can cause your target to let their guard down and reveal their identity. Use all the resources available to you, within the limits of state law, to complete service as efficiently as possible.
Allow our team of process servers to bring you and your firm peace of mind. Call us at (404) 924-4838 today and never worry again about being out of compliance with state process service laws.
