Case Study | Simplifying Out Of State Service of Process

The Company

Business Type:

Law Firm

Location:

Midwest

Size:

Small

With ABC Since:

2021

A Service of Process Partner For Your Growth

Read on to learn how ABC Legal helped a premier business law firm in Illinois:

Get reliable local process servers for out-of-state work
Easily order and pay for service of process online
Manage service of process for cases across the country

Download a copy of the case study as a PDF to share!

A Service of Process Partner For Your Growth

Read on to learn how ABC Legal helped a premier business law firm in Illinois:

Get reliable local process servers for out-of-state work
Easily order and pay for service of process online
Manage service of process for cases across the country

Download a copy of the case study as a PDF to share!

Simplifying Service of Process

ABC Legal has an easy-to-use online interface that provides extensive details regarding what transpires during service of process. Using ABC Legal helped one of their customers reduce time spent looking for out-of-state process servers and manage their work.

The customer is a premier business law firm in Illinois. This firm has been around for a few years and has quickly grown from local to nationwide work. We spoke with an attorney there about their experience with ABC Legal and how business has been going for them lately.

The Growing Pains Of A Successful Firm

The firm has a local service of process provider they have been working with for a while. That provider was doing great work for them locally and continues to help them with their work. However, the firm is growing. At first, they were able to make due by getting a referral here and there. Their success, though, led their growth to outpace their ability to expand their network. With the addition of cases in different states, blossoming into an increasingly nationwide workload, it became harder and harder to find someone they could rely on for out-of-state service.

The main problems the firm experienced were managing the logistics for:

Finding reliable local process servers for out-of-state work
Paying for work when many local servers want cash or check
Managing and monitoring progress across the country

These problems each carried a significant burden onto the firm, increasing the time and cost for each service of process order, which impacted the costs and time left for their clients.

However, the firm found ABC Legal to be a reliable partner for service of process in any state they have a case in moving forward.

Finding reliable local process servers for out-of-state work

Get the best process servers, ready to support your case

”But going and trying to find a process server in every location. It’s a lot of work for me…”

ABC Legal handles the burden of finding, managing, and monitoring process servers so that when law firms need service of process, they can tap the best network of process servers in any given state. ABC Legal uses a 7-point validation system to ensure that process servers have the eligibility and the capacity to handle cases before assigning work to the professional in question. That verification, in addition to the sheer volume of process servers actively delivering documents in ABC Legal’s network, made the decision to work with ABC Legal easy for the firm.

“The options for me are: to go and find a local place and make a bunch of independent relationships with process servers all over the country or have ABC Legal do that for me. My goal there is pretty straightforward…I am kind of outsourcing that administrative piece of trying to find someone each time. Plus, it saves me time. That's important.”

Working with ABC Legal allowed this premier business law firm to save time by handling the process of finding, vetting and monitoring process servers throughout the U.S.

Untangling the logistics of paying for out-of-state work

Order and pay for service of process online

Not only did ABC Legal tackle the workload of finding and assessing process servers, they also helped simplify the pains associated with ordering out-of-state work with local process servers.

When the firm was able to find a local process server they could trust, they ran into the problem of how to pay the process servers who tended to be more old-fashioned in how they accept payment.

”…a lot of them want payment only by check, or something like that, which impacts my cash flow and makes it difficult, logistically, to [have to find a way to] get them a check.”

The firm found ABC Legal's online ordering and payment process extraordinarily helpful in its speed, efficiency, and the directness of making the payment online by credit card when ordering. No running to a post office to send payments by certified mail. No waiting for checks to be cashed. Just a few clicks online.

“The online interface and collaboration that you get with the process servers just makes it really helpful. I can initiate a case online really quickly - it is probably faster then when I order with my local server.”

The simple interface and up-front pricing make the transactional part of the process easy for a business law firm, streamlining their cash flow and processing.

Increasing visibility and transparency on progress, nationwide

Get the updates and communication you need to succeed.

When firms have to handle conversations with process servers in other states, it can become increasingly difficult to know what’s happening case-by-case. Calling down process servers for an update and following up on every single order is overwhelming. The ability to see updates in a streamlined fashion can make or break a case, and it’s one of the benefits of the ABC Legal platform the firm appreciates most.

“I think the success rate, the number of attempts, and the details I can around the attempts is helpful. I did have a problem serving somebody in Florida, but the servers were really diligent. I don't get that kind of visibility with my local server - I don’t know how many attempts they make. ABC Legal tells me exactly how many [attempts are made] and I can see what they did each time. I could see that they were having a real hard time serving someone there. I needed to figure out another way to get him served and I did.”

ABC Legal provides notification updates along the way, including alerts after each service attempt and upon delivery. All of the information from service is available to customers in a secure online account. From placing new orders to reviewing progress for ongoing or past work, the secure account provides customers like a business law firm with the information they need when they need it.

“It was really easy to sign up and it’s really easy to do the process service. I started using it more mostly because it was easy, it saved me time, and I can track my process service through it. It’s been a good experience.”

Easy and simple service is what ABC Legal is all about. Transparency and communication are built into each step of the experience. Additionally, customer support is available to answer any questions that may arise before, during, or after service. It’s all part of optimizing service of process - for everyone.

The transparency of the online experience helps law firms stay on top of out-of-state service of process in an efficient and timely fashion.

Transform service of process into an easy online experience.

ABC Legal is committed to accurate, efficient, timely service of process. With nationwide coverage, responsive communication, and service update notifications, we work hard so law firms have time to focus on their clients and their needs.

For anyone tackling the issue of needing a vendor to support out-of-state service, the firm recommends ABC Legal:

“I would recommend ABC Legal for solving that problem [of using ABC Legal over making individual relationships with process servers all over the nation]. I think it is pretty simple, I don't really have another recommendation I would make to them. They need to look at ABC Legal and I don’t know why they wouldn’t use ABC Legal.”

If you’re a growing firm like this premier business law firm, looking to expand your footprint without the headache of finding and monitoring process servers in every state on your own, the answer is as easy as ABC.

Place your first order online and see how easy service of process can be.

Interview With An Attorney At A Premier Business Law Firm

1. What challenges did you face with your previous service of process providers?

"My firm is only 3 years old, I am a solo attorney. I started out with using a local security firm that was actually working in my neighborhood and doing security for the neighborhood.

I looked for some other options because they were a little slow, small, and focused more on just my county. My firm was growing to outside of Lake County, IL into the Chicago collar counties, so I needed a little bigger of a firm. I got a referral to a firm that focuses on the Chicago area, but also all of Illinois. So, I started using them - they had good rates, pretty reliable, I can just email them stuff and they respond pretty quickly, and serve pretty quickly.

That was working for me pretty well and still does because I still use them. They are a small, local firm - a little bigger than some of the other ones.

I got some clients and had to start serving companies and individuals all over, nationwide. I once got a referral from my local firm to some place in Texas and I used the place down there and it went okay.

But going and trying to find a process server in every location is a lot of work for me and a lot of them want payment only by check, or something like that, which impacts my cash flow and makes it difficult, logistically, to get them a check."

2. What made you decide on ABC Legal?

“I don’t remember exactly how I found out about ABC Legal, I believe you were sending me solicitations through email. So, I looked at it when I had a process service that I had to do in another state.

It was really easy to sign up and it’s really easy to do the process service. I started using it more mostly because it was easy, it saved me time, and I can track my process service through it.

It’s been a good experience. There’s been a couple of small glitches, but I talk with my account manager about that. It’s nice to have someone to talk to about anything going on.”

3. Why do you continue to use ABC Legal?

“For me, process service is something I have to do, it’s a requirement. It is kinda like buying a utility to me or something you have to have - it’s not really an option.

So, the options for me are: to go and find a local place and make a bunch of independent relationships with process servers all over the country or have ABC Legal do that for me. My goal there is pretty straightforward, pretty easy. Have ABC Legal do it. I am kind of outsourcing that administrative piece of trying to find someone each time. Plus, it saves me time. That's important.

I believe ABC Legal is competitively priced. It is expensive when I try to do service in Wyoming and Delaware, but when I do it in other places it's the same as what I’m paying locally. I think the issue is it more it’s competitive at a local level from a price standpoint - I do try to be conscientious with my client’s money.”

4. How do you measure the value of service of process with ABC Legal for your firm?

“I think the success rate, the number of attempts, and the details I can get around the attempts is helpful. I did have a problem serving somebody in Florida, but the servers was really diligent.

I don't get that kind of visibility with my local server - I don’t know how many attempts they make. ABC Legal tells me exactly how many [attempts are made] and I can see what they did each time. I could see that they were having a real hard time serving someone there. I needed to figure out another way to get him served and I did.”

5. What is your favorite part of your experience with ABC Legal?

“I think the online interface. ABC Legal is not just a technology platform, you got process servers all over the country who are real people. The online interface and collaboration that you get with the process servers just makes it really helpful.

I can initiate a case online really quickly - it is probably faster then when I order with my local server. I just drag the documents in, type the address of who needs to get served, it validates the address - which is another nice little step - and then it is done.”