Subpoena Services

About Subpoenas

Subpoenas are critical to many civil court cases. Subpoenas are used to compel a person, document or record into court, and are necessary when, as an attorney, you are dealing with a reluctant witness or defendant. The written court document is issued by a court authority, ordering the person named within the subpoena to attend court at a specified time and place for questioning.

According to Massachusetts Civil Process law, every subpoena is issued by the clerk of court, a notary public, a justice of the peace, an attorney or pro se includes the name of the court and the title of the action. It commands each person named in the subpoena to attend and give testimony in court at the time and place specified within or produce documents/records for an upcoming court date. For your convenience, these forms are available for you to fill out and send online to our Norfolk County Civil Process Office.

The Norfolk County Civil website is designed for attorney's, enabling them to produce and send subpoenas online. By eliminating the paper work for your paralegals, our office receives the paperwork quicker, and can deliver results faster. If you choose not to email your subpoena please send you subpoena by mail with at least 7 days before the hearing and attorney’s will be invoiced for the Civil Process Office fee, notary fee (if necessary) and the appropriate witness fee.

When these subpoenas are received, they are processed by our staff and distributed to our Deputy Sheriffs. Norfolk County Deputy Sheriffs have the authority to distribute these subpoenas, and the experience and training to do it correctly. Once the Deputy Sheriff has served the defendant, witness, or corporation with a subpoena, a return of service is issued to the plaintiff/attorney.

Depending on the reason for the subpoena, service can be made by delivering a copy to each person named or leaving a copy at their residence. Subpoenas cannot be served by those involved in the legal proceedings, and Norfolk County Deputy Sheriffs are often called upon to deliver this service.

Our Deputy Sheriffs have access to databases and resources not available to the public at large, giving them a superior ability to locate defendants, who often try to avoid being served. Norfolk County Deputy Sheriffs have undergone extensive training in order to be able to adequately handle these situations. Let our Deputy Sheriffs and professional staff help you with your legal proceeding today.