For the best service of process, lawyers, firms, businesses, and private individuals should hire a process server rather than a sheriff. Process servers are professionals solely dedicated to successfully serving individuals. Process servers’ success rate, speed, and costs are all better than sheriff’s.
What is a subpoena?
A subpoena is an order of a court which requires a person to be present at a certain time and place or suffer a penalty (subpoena means, literally, "under penalty"). This is the traditional tool used by lawyers to ensure that witnesses present themselves at a given place, date and time to make themselves available to testify.