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After being in the legal field for a few years, I am sharing my successes for other process servers along with funny stories.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

WRITERS NOTES #1




                          GIRL'S WANNA BE PI'S TOO!



    Welcome! Thanks for buying my book or borrowing it from a friend. If you are reading this, then you might have some interest in making it a profession. I thought I would mention the most important traits so you have as much information as possible. Now, remember these are my opinion(s).

    Personality

    PI's and Process Servers must be able to think on their feet. You might have a plan or situation all ready to execute but it could change in an instant, so you have to be able to think fast and change your tactic quickly. Some of this comes from experience but it's nice if some of this is part of your personality.

    It's good if you have imagination as a built-in trait because you need to come up with bright ideas and scenario's to resolve different situations that are not taught in any college course.

    Make sure you stay fit, work out regularly. Sometimes you have to run, jump, run, hike, run, walk a fair distance, run, skip, and more running. You have to be able to out-run vicious dogs for example, sometimes Mace or other sprays don't work.

    If you have anger or control issues, this is not the job for you, please don't even try.

    Education

    If you Google "Private Investigator" schools, you will see a lot of them. These schools are useful but will not get you a PI degree. Same for Process Servers. Private Investigators are licensed by the State of California, Department of Consumer Affairs and they have their own requirements. Graduating from a PI school is not going to pass. Go to the Consumer Affairs website and you will see their criteria. 

    If you plan on getting a Criminal Justice degree and then taking the PI exam or obtaining a Process Server's license, I still recommend you work under a PI or an Insurance adjusting company. You will have knowledge about some laws from a Criminal Justice degree but they don't teach you street smarts.

    How PI's and Process Server's give our profession a bad rap

    Don't dress like some bounty hunters do, keep a professional appearance. You'll get a lot further with hostile people if you don't look hostile or grungy.

    Don't shove any of your badges in people's faces and act like an FBI agent. This is a joke. I only show my licenses for law enforcement.

    Don't make people wrong when you serve or handle them. I've seen some instances where the process server or PI acts high and mighty. It's embarrassing. You have to know when is the right time to be more serious, don't act arrogant all the time.

    In most legal cases, the more serious the case is, the lighter you are in handling the people connected to the case. I have found this very successful.

    And finally...

    Share my book with others. I love giving professional speeches to women's associations, organizations and even college classes, just ask! I can be reached on LinkedIn, Google +, Twitter and email: Christi@legworkpi.com.