eFiling continues to have a negative impact on messengers...In Washington D.C. This is the latest in a series recent instances where the traditional messenger/courier companies are being negatively impacted by the progress that eFiling affords.
District of Columbia Courts - Washington Post Story http://bit.ly/c6WkB
King County Courts - Seattle Times Story http://bit.ly/Lhyn9
Philadelphia County Courts - Law.com Story http://bit.ly/dufxh
New York City Courts - ABA Journal Story http://bit.ly/JMmG2
San Francisco County Courts - Wired Magazine Story http://bit.ly/gjo4o San Francisco Chronicle Story - http://bit.ly/3gfHoN
I wonder at what point will the Process Serving profession take note of these developments and realize that traditional service of process is also at risk of being transformed by the implementation of technologies that can bring tremendous efficiencies to moving documents and information from one place to another in a blink of the eye...
All that stands in the way of this becoming a reality is the legal community embracing change. The Process Serving community can play an important role in shaping the future of the industry, but for some reason has not stepped up to the plate...
You are correct, the changes needed to allow e-service are minimal. I can imagine a time in the near future where laws and court rules undergo a subtle change. At the same time contracts, such as those for credit cards, will include language allowing service via e-mail under the new rules. If you don't agree in advace to e-service, you don't get the credit card.
ReplyDeleteAnother question to ask is "Who will be doing the e-service?" A few process serving companies perhaps. Or perhaps not. It might be FaceBook. Or it might be the courts themselves. Should be very interesting.