Process Servers Go Green
The days in which a process server sat by his file cabinets and waited by his rotary phone for a call requesting delivery of service of process on an individual or a business should be long gone. Surprisingly enough, there are many independent contractors who still conduct their business in this antiquated and environmentally hostile manner. While there are reputable independent servers who have advanced with the times and who have secured and applied the benefits of modern technology to their work routine, there are far too many who have remained resistant to change. However, these fossils of the service of process industry, who are not adhering to the current policies of the “Go Green” movement, are falling by the wayside.
Servers and law firms alike have come to realize that the pace of the times and additional court room demands have resulted in numerous and varied responsibilities on each case. The law firms can no longer depend on the “old warhorse” to deliver their “need it now” emergency service of process or to carry out a plethora of other activities that require immediate attention. There can be no return to the days of yesteryear in process serving. Those process servers who are utilizing the modern technology are not only better able to serve their clients, but they are practicing good citizenship by helping to preserve the environment.
Full service litigation support firms have propelled the service of process and associated services into the 21st Century through the utilization of technological advances in order to facilitate client service and to help preserve the planet, as well. These process servers adhere to the “Go Green” methodology of conducting their business affairs by adopting ecologically sound and environmentally friendly office protocol. Process servers who have changed their habits of doing business in order to be in synch with the “Go Green” movement are doing their part in preserving the environment for generations to come while, at the same time, promoting their own business cause.
In what ways can process servers “Go Green?” To answer that question, let’s go back to our friend, the service of process fossil for just a minute, shall we? He has been a rather successful process server over the years, as evidenced by files in manila folders piled up in each corner of his office, and papers scattered all over his desk and on furniture throughout the office. In years gone by, this presentation could be an indicator of a successful process server with hundreds of clients whose records were kept, by hand, in files. Additionally, his secretary ensured there was nothing lost (even if it had been misplaced and couldn’t be found) by photocopying everything that came into the office. Papers piled up everywhere, and the cost of copying the files and storing them became prohibitive, so the costs were passed on to you, the client! Do you know how many trees were cut down each year just to satisfy the paper demands of the fossil? If he used 90,000 sheets of paper annually, then two trees were cut down to meet his paper demand!
You think 90,000 sheets of paper is a lot of paper, however I have had some foreclosure filings that had 150 pages. That means just 600 filings that size would equal the two trees. I have also seen many firms that serve 7 to 8000 papers per year. At 8000 papers you would just have to average 12 sheets per filing to reach that same number. Now, imagine 5000 servers throughout the country that have not progressed to electronic storage of documents. That’s 10,000 trees a year that could be saved.
Full service litigation firms today have chosen to “Go Green.” By utilizing an electronic storage system, the process server can enter, file, track and retrieve every piece of information relative to each case. Electronic document storage allows the process server access to all documents relative to a case, and he or she can retrieve this information and furnish reports with a push of a button, without even causing a single tree to be cut down. Online data storage facilitates the clients’ ability to access your documents and to forward them to any party anywhere in the world at any time. Meanwhile, the fossil is still awaiting a dial tone! The use of electronic document storage is inexpensive, and the cost of hard drives continues to tumble. The process servers can then transfer these savings over to their clients, the law firms and pro se litigants who utilize their services.
The second electronic marvel of the decade for conservation is the fax-to-email technology. If an attorney has a subpoena to be served 200 miles away, what is the normal process? The old process would be to call their local server, print the subpoena, have the local server come and pick it up. Then the local server would contact a qualified server where it needed to be served and then go to the post office and mail the subpoena to them. All this, while making a copy for his own records. The server then serves the paper and fills out an affidavit of service and mails it back to the local server who makes a copy and then drives over to the attorney’s office and delivers it. What a waste of time, paper and gas.
The new technology advance firm would email the subpoena to their server or have the server prepare the subpoena (no paper or gas yet). The local server would then email the subpoena to his server, where it would be printed and served. The server would then email the affidavit of service back to the local server, who in turn would forward it to the attorney. All this done with the subpoena and affidavit printed once and only the gas for the actual delivery was expended.
Conservation and ecology consciousness are important factors that business people, such as process servers, never considered even a decade ago. However, with reliance on foreign oil and air quality such hot topics today, it is vital that process servers practice good environmental business protocol in order to make their contribution to society. Trees are an important part of our environment, and they add to our quality of life. Trees have a tremendous impact in reducing noise, smog, and air pollutants, while at the same time producing the gas we all need … oxygen The continuous senseless cutting down of trees has damaged our ecosystem, and it is the responsibility of process servers to play their role in the maintenance of our environment. By using e-mail, online accommodations, proof of service through electronic documentation processes, and paper recycling, each server can spare one or two trees annually.
Another way for process servers to “Go Green” is by using hybrid automobiles for field coverage. These hybrids run on a gasoline-electric blend of fuel which relates to an average savings of twelve miles per gallon, or over 400 gallons of gas annually if the server clocks 50,000 miles per year. That is almost enough gas to replace one normal persons gas usage per year. Cutting our reliance on foreign oil is not only good for the environment; it is also good for the security of our country. This reduction in the use of gasoline also translates into savings for the process server, which is, in turn, reflected in savings for their clients. Hybrids also produce much less pollution from gas emission, and are compatible with the “Go Green” initiative.
There has been a remarkable progress in recent years made by businesses to align themselves with others as advocates of the preservation of the environment through sound economic and ecological business practices, and process servers should make it their practice to “Go Green.” Sometimes these initiatives come with a hefty price tags, however in our industry, undertaking the “Go Green” initiatives actually save us time, personnel and money. So, GO GREEN.
This article is presented by Colin Keogh, the VP of operations for Salus Services, Inc. Salus Services is a premier full litigation support company in Florida servicing attorneys and pro se clients throughout Florida and the US.
http://saluslegalservices.com