What Constitutes Valid Service of Process?

Service of Process—sometimes called Notice of Litigation—is the delivery of a writ, summons, or other legal papers to the person required to respond to them. A Service of Process initiates a lawsuit.

Although the concept is straightforward, Service of Process is a complex procedure governed by a detailed set of statutes and rules. Failure to understand these statutes and rules can be severe for a business entity defendant and can result in default judgments, missed opportunities to challenge invalid service, administrative penalties and incurred litigation costs.

White Paper
What Constitutes Valid Service of Process?, covers important aspects of Service of Process, including:

  • Content of the summons
  • Who may serve the summons
  • Methods of delivery

To receive your complimentary copy of this white paper, complete the upper right section of this page.

Smart Chart
Each state has its own rules on how process must be served. For a state-by-state overview of valid forms of Service of Process on business entities by jurisdiction, download our Service of Process Smart Chart.