Service of process is the procedure by which a party to a lawsuit gives an appropriate notice of initial legal action to another party (such as a defendant), court, or administrative body in an effort to exercise jurisdiction over that person so as to enable that person to respond to the proceeding before the court, body, or other tribunal.  Notice is furnished by delivering a set of court documents (called “process”) to the person to be served.

(Ritter, Ron. The Oxford Style Manual. Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 1.)

The State of Tennessee maintains very little regulation over the Process Service industry.  TN statute basically requires that a Server be 18 years of age or older and not party to the suit.  Why is this important to know?  As a result of minimal regulation, clients may not feel confident that their legal needs are always in the best hands.  TAPPS is a self-regulating Association which requires our members have no prior felonies, maintain high ethical standards, and support the process server industry through quality service and professionalism.

When a client hires a member of TAPPS, they can feel confident that their papers are in the hand of a qualified professional that has experience and dedication towards providing the highest standards of professionalism in the state of Tennessee.  Whether it is filing papers, retrieving documents, serving a corporation, registered agent, or private individual, the correct process will be maintained to ensure a quality, recognized Service of Due Process.