It’s been an unprecedented year for everyone, including process servers. From learning how to effectuate service while maintaining social distancing to tracking down individuals waiting out the pandemic in other states, process servers have had a year of learning and adaptation.
Now another change is on the horizon: the return to in-person work and “normal” activity. But first, here’s how the industry changed over the last twelve months, and how we plan to navigate the future of process service.
The unintended impact of stay-at-home orders
In the early weeks of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, governors across the country established stay-at-home orders for everyone except essential workers. In New Jersey, process service was considered essential, which meant that local service of process could still be completed.
And since most of the intended recipients were now at home for a majority of the time, effectuating service was relatively simple. Because most people were at home most of the time, locating individuals was temporarily less complicated.
While process servers no longer had to try and track down individuals at their place of work, their favorite restaurant, or the local gym, new challenges quickly arose as the pandemic continued.
Work from home, or anywhere
Once remote work routines were established, more and more people began to travel to new locations for extended periods of time. Many took advantage of the fact that “working from home” now meant working from any home—including the homes of relatives in other states, or in a series of temporary rental and vacation residences.
Individuals were often gone for months at a time, with no established routine to help process servers ascertain when they would return to their primary residence. This made locating some individuals a bit more challenging.
Additionally, many courts closed or limited their service for emergency proceedings only, reducing the workload for process servers even further.
The return to in-person work
Now that many states are returning to pre-pandemic routines, process servers will need to navigate the “new normal” and what that means for effectuating service. Fortunately, most courts have resumed all types of proceedings, either in-person or via some form of video conferencing, which means the demand for process servers should increase.
Additionally, many people will be returning to their workplaces and offices, establishing a routine between home and work that should make completing service easier. However, the lack of restrictions around gatherings, visiting public places, and indoor dining mean that whatever routines are re-established will likely be disrupted almost as quickly as they are resumed.
Intended recipients might take a different route home from work to visit friends, leave during the day to take their lunch break at a new restaurant, or even adopt a more fluid work schedule that has them in and out of various workspaces throughout the week.
The ability to resume recreational travel will also present a challenge. While it’s less likely someone will leave for months at a time, travel will still present a completion challenge to process servers trying to track an individual down.
Experience is key
With the wide variety of lifestyle changes anticipated in the upcoming months, it’s never been more important to hire an experienced process server.
At DGR Legal our process servers are efficient, knowledgeable, and expert at navigating unexpected or unique circumstances—both during the pandemic and in the future. Contact us today to get started.
In the early weeks of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, governors across the country established stay-at-home orders for everyone except essential workers. In New Jersey, process service was considered essential, which meant that local service of process could still be completed.
And since most of the intended recipients were now at home for a majority of the time, effectuating service was much simpler, especially if the process server was able to provide proof of residency and could simply leave documents on the doorstep of the home (perhaps next to the food and grocery orders ordered via contactless delivery).
While process servers no longer had to try and track down individuals at their place of work, their favorite restaurant, or the local gym, new challenges quickly arose as the pandemic continued.
Work from home, or anywhere
Once remote work routines were established, more and more people began to travel to new locations for extended periods of time. Many took advantage of the fact that “working from home” now meant working from any home—including the homes of relatives in other states, or in a series of temporary rental and vacation residences.
Individuals were often gone for months at a time, with no established routine to help process servers ascertain when they would return to their primary residence. This made locating some individuals a bit more challenging.
Additionally, many courts closed or limited their service for emergency proceedings only, reducing the workload for process servers even further.
The return to in-person work
Now that many states are returning to pre-pandemic routines, process servers will need to navigate the “new normal” and what that means for effectuating service. Fortunately, most courts have resumed all types of proceedings, either in-person or via some form of video conferencing, which means the demand for process servers should increase.
Additionally, many people will be returning to their workplaces and offices, establishing a routine between home and work that should make completing service easier. However, the lack of restrictions around gatherings, visiting public places, and indoor dining mean that whatever routines are re-established will likely be disrupted almost as quickly as they are resumed.
Intended recipients might take a different route home from work to visit friends, leave during the day to take their lunch break at a new restaurant, or even adopt a more fluid work schedule that has them in and out of various workspaces throughout the week.
The ability to resume recreational travel will also present a challenge. While it’s less likely someone will leave for months at a time, travel will still present a completion challenge to process servers trying to track an individual down.
Experience is key
With the wide variety of lifestyle changes anticipated in the upcoming months, it’s never been more important to hire an experienced process server. At DGR Legal our process servers are efficient, knowledgeable, and expert at navigating unexpected or unique circumstances—both during the pandemic and in the future. Contact us today to get started.
