Service of a Summons and Complaint is a process to compel someone to appear in court to defend him/her/itself against a lawsuit. It involves presenting to the person or entity sued (the ‘defendant’) a Complaint in which the person suing (the ‘plaintiff’) describes its legal claims and should always be accompanied by a Summons, requiring a defendant to respond in court. There are very specific requirements for serving a lawsuit on a defendant. Plaintiffs frequently hire a professional process server to comply with these requirements.