Engagement
An assignment is engaged when the practice confirms receipt of the papers and accepts the matter. The practice may decline any matter — including any matter outside its scope — and will say so before acceptance, so the firm loses no time to a refusal that arrives late.
Scope
The practice serves process as described on this site: Rhode Island Superior Court process; federal process throughout the service area — the forty-eight contiguous states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands; out-of-state papers where the governing rules authorize service by a private server, including state-court matters in which the court appoints the server or a statute expressly authorizes private service; notice delivery where lawful; and travel assignments. What may be served in each jurisdiction is stated on the Regions page. Matters the law reserves to court officers are not within scope and are not accepted. Personal service is made by Joshua J. Almeida or by an authorized associate server — in each case a nonparty adult, acting only where the governing rules permit, and held to the same documentation standard. This practice serves legal process; it does not provide legal advice, and nothing in an engagement makes it counsel to any party.
Rates and Fees
Assignments are billed under the rate cards published on the Rates page: the first-engagement schedule for a firm's first assignment, and the standard schedule thereafter. Travel and out-of-state assignments are quoted and confirmed with the firm before the assignment begins. Additional attempts are billed as the applicable schedule provides.
Payment
Payment is due on receipt of the affidavit unless other terms are agreed in writing. The practice accepts Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, PayPal, Apple Pay, wire transfer, cash, and checks payable to Joshua J. Almeida. Payment should reference the matter or invoice it settles.
The Affidavit
Every attempt is logged in writing. The affidavit of service is signed before a notary the same day service is completed and is returned to the firm, together with the attempt record for matters that could not be completed. The affidavit states what was done, where, when, and upon whom — nothing more, and nothing less.
The Firm's Instructions
Attempts are made on the papers, addresses, and deadlines the firm provides; the firm is responsible for their accuracy. The practice will report promptly any address that proves vacant, incorrect, or unsafe, and will proceed further only on the firm's instruction.
Responsibility
The practice's responsibility in an engagement is the faithful performance and documentation of the attempts undertaken, in accordance with the rules of the jurisdiction of service. Outcomes that depend on the papers, the addresses supplied, or the court's ruling on the sufficiency of service remain the firm's.
Questions
Questions about these terms are directed to joshua.j.almeida@gmail.com or (401) 516-8714.