The Law Office of Matthew M. Williams, P.C.

630-409-8184

1444 North Farnsworth Avenue, Suite 307, Aurora, IL 60505

Yorkville Office By Appointment

Initial Consultations via ZOOM Available

Kendall County Service of Summons Lawyer

Oswego service of summons attorney

Divorce Attorney Serving Aurora, Yorkville, and Naperville

1. Summons:

Summons is defined by Wikipedia as "A call by an authority to appear, come, or do something."

The Summons is a document filed with the Court along with the initial Petition for Dissolution, Separation, Determination of Paternity, etc. The Summons is the document which requires the Defendant/Respondent to "appear" and "respond" to the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. Without a Summons being "served", your case will die a natural death and nothing will happen.

2. Service of Process:

After filing your initial Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, your need to have the Petition and Summons "served" upon your spouse (or the other biological parent in a paternity case). To properly "serve" your spouse, the Summons and Petition for Dissolution of Marriage MUST be delivered to your spouse by either the Sheriff's Department or a Special Process Server. Once "served" the respondent spouse has 30 days to file his/her appearance and answer with the Clerk of the Court in the county the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage was filed.

3. Alternatives to formal Service:

While the only way to force your spouse to file an Appearance and Response to Petition for Dissolution of Marriage is to have him/her formally served with the Summons, there are other, gentler methods to get the ball rolling. These alternatives to service are explored during your initial consultation.

The Law Office of Matthew M. Williams, P.C.

630-409-8184

1444 North Farnsworth Avenue, Suite 307, Aurora, IL 60505

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