Our fee includes up to four attempts at a given address. If we are successful, we will document accordingly by completing a Return of Service. If the citation was issued from a Texas court that accepts e-filing, we will e-file the Return of Service and send a file-marked copy of the Return to you via e-mail. For Texas courts that do not accept e-filing, and for Federal Returns of Service, we will generally forward the Return of Service to you via e-mail for filing with the court. In those courts that require original documents, we will furnish you with an original document.
If we are unsuccessful, we will prepare a Declaration of due diligence, listing the dates, times, and outcomes of our various attempts. We generally do not file these Declarations, but instead return to you via e-mail. If you prefer that we file your Declarations, please let us know. If the facts of our Declaration lead you to request service by alternative methods, please let us know and we will prepare a special Declaration for those purposes.
Asking the clerk to call us directly upon availability sometimes leads to confusion and delay on both our part and the clerk's part. In addition, we may make assumptions regarding your needs that are not in accordance with your preferences.
Tex. R. Civ. Proc. (TRCP) 21(f)(7)(A) authorizes a process server to sign a Return of Service electronically if the Return is e-filed with the court. The process server electronically signs the Return by typing a "/S/" followed by the process server's name. These Returns are signed under penalty of perjury in accordance with TRCP 107(e), and thus are not required to be notarized. In addition, we do not include a copy of the citation when we e-file Returns of Service, in accordance with TRCP 107(a). We have found that some Texas courts do not follow TRCP regarding Returns of Service. In those instances we will prepare and file a Return of Service that complies with each individual court's requirements.
We prepare a PDF witness fee check and transmit that check to our process server via e-mail. People unfamiliar with this method of payment may call you, saying "I didn't get a real check." We will furnish a traditional check upon request.
We retrieve documents from courts throughout Texas and the United States on a daily basis. We can generally retrieve documents in Harris County on a same-day basis if we receive your request by 1:00 p.m. For other large counties in Texas we can generally retrieve documents the next day if we receive your request by 4:00 p.m. In smaller counties and outside Texas we can generally retrieve documents within two to three business days.
We can generally arrange for expedited service in the major cities of Texas within a couple of hours of receiving your request. If you wish to initiate a service request in the evening, during the weekend, or on a holiday, please contact us in advance to make arrangements.
We will send an invoice to you via e-mail once we have completed our work. We generally send invoices twice a month. We expect to be paid within thirty days of the receipt of that invoice. If you anticipate sending one of our invoices to your client to pay us directly, or if you intend to wait for your client to pay you before paying us, please inform us of that when you place the order.
We can accommodate special invoicing requirements, including formats suitable for upload directly into your accounting system. If you have special requirements, please contact our office. In the unlikely event you receive a past due notice from us, please respond and give us a payment update.