The law provisions for process serving in Oklahoma City allows either a Sheriff or Process server OKC to serve defendants legal papers.
However, there’s a need to know the pros and cons of both options to ascertain the one you truly need, thereby ensuring satisfactory service delivery.
While both Sheriff and a process server Oklahoma can serve papers, their roles differ greatly under the law. The only similarity is serving process to defendants.
A process server Oklahoma City is only concerned with serving processes, while the duty of an Oklahoma Sheriff goes beyond process serving. Oklahoma City’s Sheriff also has law enforcement and security provision responsibilities.
Hence, certain factors need to be considered when choosing between hiring an Oklahoma City Sheriff and a process server in OKC. We look into these factors below.
Criteria for Choosing Between a Sheriff or a Process Server to Serve Process in Oklahoma
Determining whether it’s a process server Oklahoma City you need or a Sheriff can be as simple as considering some essential criteria. These criteria include:
- Service Speed —. You may need to get your legal papers across to a defendant as fast as possible. In such a scenario, how quickly they can render your service becomes paramount. Most legal practitioners in Oklahoma believe that a process server Oklahoma City is your best bet for swift service delivery.
This can be attributed to the difference in Sheriffs and process servers in Oklahoma work hours. Most Sheriffs only work from 7 am to 7 pm, making it easier for defendants to evade them.
On the other hand, a process server Edmond Oklahoma, process server Ardmore Oklahoma, process server Broken Arrow Oklahoma, and other OKC process servers, can perform their duty at any time of the day, provided they are within the constraint of the law.
- Success Rate – According to reports, Sheriff’s return papers to court as undeliverable more than process servers OKC. This implies that process servers in Oklahoma City boast higher success rates in delivering legal papers than Sheriffs.
However, this assertion only stands true when you hire a competent process server Oklahoma or work with a reputable process serving agency Oklahoma like Oklahoma Judicial Process Servers (OJPS).
Most process servers Enid Oklahoma and process servers Lawton Oklahoma employ different strategies like stealthily following their targets before choosing to pounce like big cats. This is one luxury Sheriffs can’t afford because of their other responsibilities.
- Knowledge of Local Laws – Specialization gives process servers in Oklahoma an edge over Sheriffs to get the full grasp of the law.
Sheriffs are involved with a series of other law enforcement and protection duties, making it harder for them to know all the laws guiding each of their duties in-depth. This is why most process servers Oklahoma City have more knowledge about the local laws guiding process serving than Sheriffs.
A process server’s primary and only duty is to see to the completion of the seamless process of serving papers through the appropriate ways prescribed by the law. Hence, knowing all about serving processes is easier.
- Limitations – There are some special scenarios whereby the only way to get an evading defendant is to trespass prohibited areas. If you’re faced with such a situation, there’s little a process server OKC can do to help you.
In this case, using a Sheriff to serve papers becomes your best bet because they are law enforcers and have certain exemptions from the law to go beyond process server limits if situations call for it.
Process servers in Oklahoma aren’t law enforcers, and going beyond what the law permits can attract sanctions. Hence, you must consider this before deciding on using a process server Oklahoma or a Sheriff in Oklahoma.
- Type Of Case – While a process server Oklahoma can deliver any type of legal papers, the law provisions don’t permit Sheriffs to serve subpoenas, except if the Judge of a court permits.
It’s essential to check with your legal practitioner on the law’s stance about the type of cases a Sheriff, and a process server can deliver to avoid nullifying your case.
- Communication – Communication during service process helps keep the plaintiff and lawyer up-to-date. It gives them a sense of direction, what to expect, and what actions they should take in preparation for what to expect.
A good process server OKC communicates better with clients during service process than Sheriffs. Process servers accord you the time and attention you need while ensuring satisfactory service delivery.
However, Sheriffs are more concerned about getting your job done with or without carrying you along.
- Reliability – When it comes to serving process, you can always place your last funds on a process server to deliver your papers irrespective of the situation. Same can not be said about a Sheriff. Sheriff’s tight schedules and prioritization sometimes make them unable to serve defendants within due time.
Thus, if reliability is your watchword, process servers are your best choice. Nevertheless, there’s a need to ensure you work with a reputable process server in Oklahoma that can provide you with the reliability and satisfaction that you need.
Oklahoma Judicial Process Servers (OJPS) boasts some of these trusted process servers Oklahoma.
Specialization forms the bases of any edge process servers have over Sheriffs. The need to handle four or more duties than process servers make Sheriffs look inefficient in delivering processes. While it’s true that using a process server may be your best option, they are not as free from limitations by the law as Sheriffs.
Hence, how you prioritize each of these criteria determines whether what you need is a Sheriff or a process server. Ideally, a process server should be in charge of serving processes, but most courts suggest Sheriffs unless the plaintiff says otherwise.
The cost of hiring both professionals are similar, but the above factors set them apart. Irrespective of whether you use a Sheriff or a process server, the essential thing is for their operations to be within the law constraints to avoid getting your case thrown out.
