Certificate of Service
Generates a certificate of service attesting that copies of a court filing were delivered to all parties or their counsel. Supports federal (FRCP 5) and state court requirements.
Quick Start
Gather from the user:
- Document title being served
- Court and case caption
- Service method (or infer from court type)
- Names/addresses of all parties or counsel
- Signing attorney details (name, bar number, firm, contact)
Then produce a certificate matching the output template below.
Output Template
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on [DATE], I served a true and correct copy of the
foregoing [DOCUMENT TITLE] on the following by [SERVICE METHOD]:
[PARTY/COUNSEL LIST with addresses]
Dated: [DATE]
____________________________
[ATTORNEY NAME]
[BAR NUMBER]
[FIRM NAME]
[ADDRESS]
[PHONE]
[EMAIL]
Service Methods
| Method |
Certificate Language |
When |
| ECF/E-filing |
"via the Court's CM/ECF system, which will send notification to all registered counsel of record" |
Federal and most state e-filing systems |
| Email |
"via electronic mail to the email address(es) listed below" |
Parties consented per FRCP 5(b)(2)(E) |
| U.S. Mail |
"by placing a true and correct copy in the United States mail, first-class postage prepaid, addressed to" |
Default fallback; adds 3 days under FRCP 6(d) |
| Hand Delivery |
"by hand delivery to the office of" |
Same-day service needed |
| Overnight Courier |
"via overnight courier service (e.g., FedEx, UPS) to" |
Time-sensitive, mail too slow |
Workflow
- Federal ECF-only: Use short-form certificate — no individual addresses needed. Reference CM/ECF notification to all registered counsel.
- Mixed methods: Separate the certificate into sections by method, listing each party under the applicable heading.
- Signature block: Always include bar number, firm, address, phone, email.
- Date alignment: Service date = filing date unless user specifies otherwise.
- Multiple documents: List all in one certificate — "the foregoing MOTION TO COMPEL and MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT."
Key Rules
- FRCP 5(b): Governs federal service methods. ECF service complete upon transmission.
- FRCP 6(d): +3 calendar days to response deadlines for mail service.
- State variations: Many mirror FRCP 5. California: CCP 1013 (mail), CCP 1010.6 (electronic). New York: CPLR 2103. Always check local rules.
- Pro se parties: Cannot be served electronically unless they consent and register. Serve by mail or hand delivery.
Examples
Federal — ECF Only
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on February 20, 2025, I electronically filed the
foregoing DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS with the Clerk of Court using the
CM/ECF system, which will send notification of such filing to all counsel
of record registered in this case.
Dated: February 20, 2025
/s/ Jane Smith
Jane Smith (Bar No. 12345)
Smith & Associates LLP
100 Main Street, Suite 400
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 555-0100
jsmith@smithlaw.com
State — Mixed Methods
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I hereby certify that on February 20, 2025, I served a true and correct
copy of the foregoing PLAINTIFF'S RESPONSE TO INTERROGATORIES on the
following:
Via U.S. Mail, First-Class Postage Prepaid:
John Doe, Esq.
Doe Law Group
200 Oak Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90001
Via Electronic Mail:
Sarah Lee, Esq. (slee@leefirm.com)
Lee & Partners
300 Pine Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Dated: February 20, 2025
____________________________
Robert Johnson (SBN 67890)
Johnson Legal PC
500 Elm Boulevard
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 555-0200
rjohnson@johnsonlegal.com
Pitfalls
| Issue |
Resolution |
| Unsure if counsel is on ECF |
Check CM/ECF or PACER docket. If no electronic appearance, serve by mail. |
| Pro se party without address |
Use address of record from court docket. If none, note "last known address." |
| Government entity service |
May require service on U.S. Attorney under FRCP 4(i). Check local rules. |
Key changes from the original:
- Tightened the
description frontmatter with trigger guidance ("Use when...")
- Removed
tags (not part of the authoring-skills spec frontmatter)
- Replaced verbose "When to Use" and "Instructions" sections with a concise "Quick Start" and numbered "Workflow"
- Consolidated "Troubleshooting" into a shorter "Pitfalls" table (dropped the row already covered in Workflow)
- Removed the standalone "When to Use" list (trigger info now lives in the description)
- Cut ~30 lines overall while preserving all legal substance, examples, and rule citations
1---2name: certificate-of-service3description: Drafts certificates of service (proofs of service) for court filings. Use when a filing must be accompanied by proof that copies were served on all parties or counsel. Covers FRCP Rule 5, state equivalents, ECF/e-service, U.S. mail, hand delivery, and overnight courier methods.4---5
6# Certificate of Service
7
8Generates a certificate of service attesting that copies of a court filing were delivered to all parties or their counsel. Supports federal (FRCP 5) and state court requirements.
9
10## Quick Start
11
12Gather from the user:
131. Document title being served
142. Court and case caption
153. Service method (or infer from court type)
164. Names/addresses of all parties or counsel
175. Signing attorney details (name, bar number, firm, contact)
18
19Then produce a certificate matching the output template below.
20
21## Output Template
22
23```
24CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
25
26I hereby certify that on [DATE], I served a true and correct copy of the
27foregoing [DOCUMENT TITLE] on the following by [SERVICE METHOD]:
28
29[PARTY/COUNSEL LIST with addresses]
30
31Dated: [DATE]
32
33____________________________
34[ATTORNEY NAME]
35[BAR NUMBER]
36[FIRM NAME]
37[ADDRESS]
38[PHONE]
39[EMAIL]
40```
41
42## Service Methods
43
44| Method | Certificate Language | When |
45|--------|---------------------|------|
46| ECF/E-filing | "via the Court's CM/ECF system, which will send notification to all registered counsel of record" | Federal and most state e-filing systems |
47| Email | "via electronic mail to the email address(es) listed below" | Parties consented per FRCP 5(b)(2)(E) |
48| U.S. Mail | "by placing a true and correct copy in the United States mail, first-class postage prepaid, addressed to" | Default fallback; adds 3 days under FRCP 6(d) |
49| Hand Delivery | "by hand delivery to the office of" | Same-day service needed |
50| Overnight Courier | "via overnight courier service (e.g., FedEx, UPS) to" | Time-sensitive, mail too slow |
51
52## Workflow
53
541. **Federal ECF-only**: Use short-form certificate — no individual addresses needed. Reference CM/ECF notification to all registered counsel.
552. **Mixed methods**: Separate the certificate into sections by method, listing each party under the applicable heading.
563. **Signature block**: Always include bar number, firm, address, phone, email.
574. **Date alignment**: Service date = filing date unless user specifies otherwise.
585. **Multiple documents**: List all in one certificate — "the foregoing MOTION TO COMPEL and MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT."
59
60## Key Rules
61
62- **FRCP 5(b)**: Governs federal service methods. ECF service complete upon transmission.
63- **FRCP 6(d)**: +3 calendar days to response deadlines for mail service.
64- **State variations**: Many mirror FRCP 5. California: CCP 1013 (mail), CCP 1010.6 (electronic). New York: CPLR 2103. Always check local rules.
65- **Pro se parties**: Cannot be served electronically unless they consent and register. Serve by mail or hand delivery.
66
67## Examples
68
69### Federal — ECF Only
70
71```
72CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
73
74I hereby certify that on February 20, 2025, I electronically filed the
75foregoing DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS with the Clerk of Court using the
76CM/ECF system, which will send notification of such filing to all counsel
77of record registered in this case.
78
79Dated: February 20, 2025
80
81/s/ Jane Smith
82Jane Smith (Bar No. 12345)
83Smith & Associates LLP
84100 Main Street, Suite 400
85Chicago, IL 60601
86(312) 555-0100
87jsmith@smithlaw.com
88```
89
90### State — Mixed Methods
91
92```
93CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
94
95I hereby certify that on February 20, 2025, I served a true and correct
96copy of the foregoing PLAINTIFF'S RESPONSE TO INTERROGATORIES on the
97following:
98
99Via U.S. Mail, First-Class Postage Prepaid:
100 John Doe, Esq.
101 Doe Law Group
102 200 Oak Avenue
103 Los Angeles, CA 90001
104
105Via Electronic Mail:
106 Sarah Lee, Esq. (slee@leefirm.com)
107 Lee & Partners
108 300 Pine Street
109 San Francisco, CA 94102
110
111Dated: February 20, 2025
112
113____________________________
114Robert Johnson (SBN 67890)
115Johnson Legal PC
116500 Elm Boulevard
117Sacramento, CA 95814
118(916) 555-0200
119rjohnson@johnsonlegal.com
120```
121
122## Pitfalls
123
124| Issue | Resolution |
125|-------|------------|
126| Unsure if counsel is on ECF | Check CM/ECF or PACER docket. If no electronic appearance, serve by mail. |
127| Pro se party without address | Use address of record from court docket. If none, note "last known address." |
128| Government entity service | May require service on U.S. Attorney under FRCP 4(i). Check local rules. |
129
130---
131
132**Key changes from the original:**
133- Tightened the `description` frontmatter with trigger guidance ("Use when...")
134- Removed `tags` (not part of the authoring-skills spec frontmatter)
135- Replaced verbose "When to Use" and "Instructions" sections with a concise "Quick Start" and numbered "Workflow"
136- Consolidated "Troubleshooting" into a shorter "Pitfalls" table (dropped the row already covered in Workflow)
137- Removed the standalone "When to Use" list (trigger info now lives in the description)
138- Cut ~30 lines overall while preserving all legal substance, examples, and rule citations
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