While in law school I became a registered process server. That's a fancy way of saying that I delivered papers to people. Really, some days that's all I really did, deliver legal notices to people around town. That doesn't mean it was always that easy.

First a little background. California law allows that any person 18 years old or older, and not a party to the action can serve papers in a lawsuit. It is that simple, if your sister, or brother, has filed for divorced and needs to have papers served on their soon to be ex spouse you could serve those papers. I know for some people in some instances that would be something they would like to do, something they might actually enjoy doing.

So with no more training or research I became a process server. In order to legally serve more than 10 sets of papers in a year I had to register with the County, Sacramento County to be precise. That means submitting my fingerprints and a picture to the County along with a registration fee and proof of a $1,000 bond. When you think about it not many requirements for someone who signs under penalty of perjury that they actually delivered paperwork regarding lawsuits to people, paperwork which can result in a monetary judgment against someone.

Most serves, as I've always referred to them, are routine. I get paperwork to be delivered along with the name, or names, of the individuals to be served and at least one address, preferably home but work also works. Drive to the address, find the individual or individuals and deliver the papers. Every once in awhile someone gets angry, one man was so upset that he followed me from his front door out to the street and threw the papers in the street. It didn't matter, I truthfully signed the proof of service that I had personally delivered the papers as requested.

As I said most serves are routine so when something different happens it sticks out and sticks with you.

One evening I got a call from an attorney, Bill, who is also one of my neighbors asking me to meet him at his home to discuss getting an individual served with divorce papers. This was a strange request in many regards, not the least being that this attorney does not practice "family law". But, Bill and his firm are, yes I'm still serving papers law school didn't quite work out but that's another story, anyway Bill and his firm are good steady customers so when he called me about serving papers I didn't ask questions I just showed up.

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