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Service of Process

Service of Process

When you start a court case, or are already involved in a court case, you are generally required to give the other party (the other side) to the case copies of any papers you are filing with the court. This is called “service of process.” 
 
There are service of process rules about who can “serve” the copies and about how the copies are served to the other party. There are also service of process timelines and deadlines that you must follow.
 
The laws and rules about service are complicated and depend on what kind of court case you have and what action you are taking in the case.
 
Court staff cannot serve papers for you or apply the rules and laws of service to your individual case. If you have questions about service that are not answered here, you should talk to a lawyer.
 

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