Service is the act of delivering the opening lawsuit papers (the summons, complaint, and other documents as provided by the court) to the defendants in your case. Service may be accomplished in a number of different ways, but the preferred and most common method is personal service, in which each defendant is hand-delivered a copy of the summons and complaint by a person over the age of 18 who is not part of the lawsuit. Our firm typically accomplishes this by hiring an experienced, licensed, and bonded company. When personal service cannot be effective, some alternative methods may be used.