Tip #300 - How To Document Attempted Service of Process For Complaints

Occasionally, you will need to document service attempts, especially for Service of Complaints and Petitions when an action is commenced. In most jurisdictions attempted service must be documented prior to seeking relief for permission to serve by substitute means (“Substitute Service” as it is commonly called).

In SmartAdvocate the service date for the Complaint (or Summons and Complaint as appropriate) is entered on the Critical Deadlines Page.

Currently, there are no specific fields for the entry of attempted service. As such, we suggest you document that information in one of two ways: (1) Either in the Comment field on the Critical Deadlines Page as shown below; or (2) Create a specific Note Type for that purpose (e.g., “Attempted Service”) and document the attempted service using a note.

1. Documenting the attempted service using the Comment field

2. Documenting attempted service using a Note

First, your Admin would need to create an appropriate Note Type if one does not already exist. You may want to call the Note Type “Attempted Service”, for example. You would then add a note of that type with the appropriate content whenever service is attempted.