For those of us of a certain age, we remember legal pleadings, including subpoenas, being typed out on “legal” sized paper which was “red ruled” and all bound together in a “legal back.”  Those subpoenas, with the law firm’s check for the witness fee attached, were then delivered to our office and we would then hand it to our agent to go serve.  Quaint, no?

Modern technology has long ago buried legal sized red ruled paper.  And let’s be honest.  Legal backs are on life support.  More and more courts are getting on the e-filing bandwagon.  And that’s great.  As for service of process copies, the new standard operating procedure is to send us those documents, those subpoenas, by email in a pdf format.  We will print out the hard copies.  For our regular clients, we do NOT CHARGE any printing costs unless the total number of pages goes over 200.

Now, about your money that we don’t want.  You see the problem of sending a check by email.  Not happening.  These days it is much easier for us to advance the witness fee for you.  And for our regular clients, you know that we do NOT CHARGE you for doing so.  No more “check charges” or the like.

This all makes for much more efficient logistics.  Along with the option of our “same day” handling, we now see attorneys prepare subpoenas, email them to us, then to have them printed out and served all on the same day.  Even if you don’t need same day handling, the process is still much more efficient.  I’m told the bookkeepers at law firms appreciate this as well, as there is no more need to request a check, get approvals, get the check produced, and signed, and delivered.

So we’re here to help.  Advancing witness fees for you is just one way we look to make your work easier and less stressful.