Is Integrity Disappearing from Legal Services Landscape?

The legal services landscape is filled with regulations and standards of conduct. But is integrity disappearing from the industry? Clearly, from the closed-door meetings we have attended at various legal conferences, the answer is yes. 360Legal came into the Process Service industry as a former purchaser of Service Of Process. As a consumer of  Service Of Process, we were often struck by just how poor our options for Service were. We believe that if we empower our team to be customers focused, and to have the autonomous authority to “make things right” for our client, then the business will follow. First and foremost is always client service. How could our industry have missed something so simple?

This article will explore the importance of integrity in the Process Service industry and examine how it is slowly being eroded. We will discuss how this lack of integrity can lead to an erosion of confidence in the legal system and explore what can be done to reverse this trend.

Why Integrity Matters

Integrity is an essential trait for Process Servers. Without it, the entire system of justice would collapse. Integrity is not just about doing the right thing; it’s about ensuring every case is taken seriously and handled with a sense of urgency and accuracy. Process Servers must demonstrate their commitment to integrity by providing services that meet quality, professionalism, and accuracy standards.

Process Servers have a unique responsibility in the legal system – they deliver court documents to individuals who may be unaware or unwilling to receive them. As such, integrity plays a vital role in ensuring that essential papers are served correctly and timely. It’s also vital for Process Servers to keep their clients informed throughout the process so there is no confusion or misunderstanding. By maintaining integrity throughout each service step, Process Servers can ensure justice is served without fail.

Lack of Client Focus In Process Serving

Let’s start with how 360Legal approaches Client Focus.   Before we served our very first court documents, we had already crafted and committed to our Client Code. You can find it here.

https://www.360legal.net/about/360legal-client-code.html.

From our inception, we built our company on the foundation of a simple idea. If it’s good for our client, it is good for our business.

A significant swath of our industry seems to have lost its customer focus, making them ripe targets for the inevitable competition when there is a gap between client expectations and provider delivery.   The process serving industry has been around for a long time, yet it still seems to be lacking in client focus. This lack of attention to customer needs is becoming increasingly apparent as the industry grows.

Process serving companies are often focused on their internal issues, not on building a Service Of Process engine, and certainly not on the satisfaction of their customers. Too often, they forget that clients need reliable and accurate results to move forward with their cases or other legal matters. Often, an attorney’s one opportunity to present a lawsuit in court is quashed simply because of improper Service. This costs law firms thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the matter. Worse, it can cost lawyers and clients. Clients don’t want to hear, “it’s their fault.”  As an attorney, the buck stops at your desk, and the inadequate Process Server was ultimately your firm’s choice. Unfortunately, this issue has created a disconnect between Process Service providers and their clients. As a result, many people feel frustrated by what they perceive as a lack of understanding from Process Servers.

It’s essential for process serving companies to make sure that client focus remains at the forefront of their business operations, if not for anything else than for reputation reasons alone.

Lack Of Employee Empowerment In Process Serving

Harkening back to our earlier theme. At 360Legal, written into our Client First code and practiced by the team, every employee has the right and obligation to “Make it Right  .”Every business has moments when things don’t go right.   Companies focused on integrity understand that, at times, the best plans will go sideways and empower their employee’s always to have the ability to “make it right.”

Sadly, this is not the case throughout the industry.   Employee empowerment has always been a core component of any successful business. Unfortunately, this key factor is often ignored when it comes to process serving. Even though Process Servers are essential for legal matters, many employers do not provide their employees with sufficient autonomy or resources to give them the tools they need to complete the job effectively and efficiently.

The lack of employee empowerment in Process Service can have serious consequences. It can lead to increased stress levels amongst employees and morale issues due to inadequate support from management. Moreover, it can result in an inefficient system where processes become more time-consuming and costly for everyone involved. Furthermore, it could also lead to errors due to insufficient training or communication between colleagues.

Drastic action needs to be taken if employers wish for their process serving business to remain competitive and successful in today’s market.

Where Has The Work Ethic Gone In Process Serving

We recall sitting in a conference, overhearing a law office complaining that a judge had approved several hundred subpoenas in Miami. We sat in the courthouse for weeks because the Process Server couldn’t find time for them. While singular events do not make “the norm” what surprised us was how many lawyers immediately offered up their own stories of horrible work ethics on the part of their Process Servers. It was apparent from the conversation that this was far from an isolated incident.   At 360Legal, anyone, from Mike Weaver, the President, on down, would have immediately jumped in a car or a plane and gotten them, without question, without even asking. Such a simple decision when you are an integrity-driven Process Service company.

The work ethic of professionals in the field can make all the difference when it comes to process serving. But where has this work ethic gone? Once considered a reliable service for delivering legal documents, process serving is now one of diminishing quality and diminished trustworthiness.

Preserving Integrity – The Obvious Answer

The question of restoring a sense of reliability in this profession is just not a tricky one to answer.   When the major industry players lose track of their integrity and clients’ needs, competition will surely step in and provide what’s missing in the industry.   This is what spawned 360Legal. We are that competition, and we challenge our competition to step up to the plate and be more forthcoming in their attention to their clients. A rising tide does indeed lift all ships, and the better our competition, the more focused on our clients we all become. But, with new technology emerging, does that mean traditional methods are no longer needed? Or should those invested in Process Service strive to maintain the high standards that were once expected? After all, it’s more than just a job—it’s an essential part of our legal system that requires professionalism and dedication from those who provide it.