| 1. | Service of Process | |||
| 1.1 | Refuse to work with, work for, employ, or otherwise professionally associate with anyone who knowingly falsifies proofs of service, forges another’s signature, commits perjury, or otherwise acts in a manner to bring discredit to professional process servers or harm to a client or to the public. | |||
| 1.2 | Process is served in accordance with applicable statutory law, case law, rules of the court, or client instruction. | |||
| 1.3 | Full cooperation is provided to the court system whenever a claim of defective service is made. | |||
| 1.4 | Full cooperation is provided to the client whenever a claim of defective service is made. | |||
| 1.5 | Cooperation with opposing counsel or third parties is provided only upon receipt of written permission from client. | |||
| 1.6 | All work done for a client is confidential in nature. This confidentiality outlasts the completion of any particular assignment. | |||
| 1.7 | Service of process is made by a disinterested third party. | |||
| 1.8 | Personal “in hand” service is the preferred method of service. | |||
| 1.9 | Abode service, also known as substitute service, is acceptable when done in accordance with statutory law, case law, court rule, or client instruction. | |||
| 1.10 | Service is effected by presentation of the documents in a manner that a reasonable person would understand they are being served with process. | |||
| 1.11 | Whenever reasonably possible, the person who receives the documents is asked to sign their name acknowledging such receipt. This signature becomes a part of the service record. If the person refuses to sign acknowledging receipt of the document, the process server notes such refusal in the record of service. | |||
| 1.12 | Where the documents cannot be served personally or via abode service, all attempts are documented in a manner reasonably calculated to allow the client to use an alternative method of service. | |||
| 1.13 | Service on persons “in law”, such as corporations and government entities, is made in accordance with statutory law, case law, court rule, or client instruction. | |||
| 1.14 | Service of process is made in accordance with client instructions so long as such instructions are moral, ethical, and do not result in a violation of criminal law. | |||
| 1.15 | In descending order of acceptability, service on persons is obtained as follows: | |||
| A. | Personal “in hand” service. | |||
| B. | Abode service. | |||
| C. | Special situations where diligence is required such as: | |||
| a. | Publication | |||
| b. | Mailing | |||
| c. | Secretary of State | |||
| d. | Electronic | |||
| D. | In accordance with client instructions | |||
| 1.16 | In descending order of acceptability, service on persons “in law” is obtained as follows: | |||
| A. | Personal “in hand” service by presentation to an individual specified in statutory law, case law, or court rule. | |||
| B. | Special situations where diligence is required such as: | |||
| a. | Publication | |||
| b. | Mailing | |||
| c. | Secretary of State | |||
| d. | Electronic | |||
| C. | In accordance with client instructions | |||