What is Service of Process?

Service of process is the first shot fired across the bow in the litigation battle. After the initial filing of the petition in a civil case, the next step is to deliver the petition and the summons to the defendant. This is called service of process and it must be accomplished in strict compliance with the rules of the court having jurisdiction of the matter. Service can be contested and quite often is in the cases where the parties live in different states. Most lawyers will ask the court to appoint a special process server, who is a professional person, in order to ensure that service is properly and legally accomplished.