Questions,
answered.

Manhattan (New York County), New York, only. From Battery Park to Inwood, every job goes to a vetted, NYC-licensed server who knows Manhattan's buildings, doormen, and courts. Firms anywhere in the country can use us when papers need to be served in Manhattan. See our Manhattan service page.

Summonses and complaints in civil cases are our specialty, served in Manhattan under New York law. Landlord-tenant cases are accepted on monthly subscriptions only. Summons and complaint service is our primary focus. We do everything the right way. No corners cut.

Yes, on a monthly subscription only. Summons and complaint service is our primary focus.

Larger firms spread across many states and move papers by volume. Sapphire Legal is a premium agency focused only on Manhattan. One agency. A vetted local server network. GPS-documented attempts. Digital affidavits. Direct accountability. Our rates are fixed and listed, so you pay what you are quoted.

Prices are fixed per job: routine service is $125, rush service is $175, and delivery to a registered agent is $90. The price you see is the price you pay. Add-ons: the first 50 pages are included and each additional 25 pages, or part of 25, adds $10; color printing is $1.50 per page; black-and-white printing is included; a notarized affidavit is $10; and nail and mail, if you authorize it, adds $30 only on jobs where it is used. Same-day service is not currently offered.

First jobs are paid upfront: 100% upfront is required for first-time individual clients and is the default for first-time law firms. Repeat law firms move to Net 15 once a payment history is established. Net 30 is only for long-time exclusive clients, by invitation. Have recurring work? Our monthly subscription is 20% off, billed in advance, extra jobs are invoiced Net 15, and you still receive an invoice for every job as a record. On pay-per-job billing, we never invoice for jobs we don't receive.

Yes, for firms with recurring routine work. Every job is 20% off: under $100 instead of $125. Plans cover up to 10 jobs a month ($999), up to 25 ($2,499), up to 50 ($4,999), or up to 100 ($9,999), and the price stays the same if you send fewer. Unlike pay-per-job billing, we keep attempting each included job throughout the billing cycle, unless it's a non-service such as a bad address, a party who has moved, or no access. Not served by the end of the cycle, or closed as a non-service? Just ask, and we'll reopen it and roll it into your next billing cycle as one of that month's included jobs. Plans are all-inclusive: color printing, any page count, and nail and mail are included. Notarized affidavits are $8 each. Need more jobs? Send them as new job requests at $99.90 each, all-inclusive, with up to 3 attempts, invoiced on completion, due Net 15. Notarized affidavits, rush jobs, and registered agent jobs are invoiced, Net 15. Choose it at the end of the new client form; we send a secure checkout once your account is approved. Month to month, cancel in writing before the next billing date. Compare plans.

Routine service: the first attempt is made within 3 to 7 business days. Rush service ($175 per job): the first attempt is made within 1 to 3 business days. Turnaround is counted from when we receive a complete job, with the documents and the details of the party to be served. Same-day service is not currently offered.

If you authorize it, we run an address search (skip tracing) using commercial public-record sources to find a current address. It's $75 per search on pay-per-job billing, and the search fee is charged only if we find and serve the party. The regular service or non-service fee for the job still applies. Monthly plans include 2 to 20 searches a month, then $60 each. If the party moved after an attempt was made, the original job closes as a non-service, and service at the new Manhattan address is a new job. If the new address is outside Manhattan, we'll give it to you at no search charge so you can arrange service there. The original job closes under our standard rules: free if no attempt was made yet, or as a non-service if it was.

On pay-per-job billing, up to 3 attempts on different days, including one before 9 AM, one after 5 PM, and one on a Saturday. We never serve on Sunday. The job ends after the 3rd attempt, and any further attempts, even at the same address, are a new job at the full job rate. On a monthly subscription, each included routine job is attempted throughout the billing cycle, unless it's a non-service such as a bad address, a party who has moved, or no access.

A non-service is billed at the full job rate. It can be returned after 3 attempts, or sooner when service isn't possible, such as a bad or nonexistent address, a party who has moved, or a location the server can't access. You receive an affidavit of non-service.

You may cancel a job at no charge before the first service attempt, and any upfront payment for that job is refunded in full. Once the first attempt has been made, a cancellation is billed at the full job rate, and the job is closed as a non-service due to your cancellation request.

Electronic document intake, printing and preparation of service documents, dispatch to a vetted NYC-licensed server, up to three service attempts, GPS-verified attempt records and status updates, the mailing required after substitute service or nail and mail (completed by the server and stated in the affidavit), the executed affidavit of service or non-service, and digital delivery of the completed service package.

When personal and substitute service fail after the required attempts, New York law (CPLR 308(4)) allows the papers to be affixed to the door of the person's residence and a copy mailed. We only use it for individuals at their residence when you authorize it on your account, and it adds $30 only on jobs where it is used.

Yes. We prepare the affidavit, or if you prefer, our server signs your own affidavit form once they confirm it accurately reflects the service they performed. Notarization is decided job by job, at $10 when notarized. If service isn't possible, you receive an affidavit of non-service.

You do. We deliver the executed affidavit as part of a digital service package, and you file it with the court and tracks any related deadlines. Court filing is not included in our service.

Complete the new client form once. It calculates your exact quote, and you sign it with your typed name. If we accept your account, we set it up and send you an email invitation. Once you accept it, you can send us jobs for dispatch.

Every job runs on our secure Sapphire Legal platform. You can see GPS and time-stamped attempt logs, notes, and status updates in real time.

A registered agent is a person or company a business appoints to receive legal papers on its behalf, such as CT Corporation, with intake staff during business hours. Delivery to a registered agent in Manhattan is $90 per job. Learn more about registered agent service.

Yes. Sapphire Legal LLC is licensed, bonded, and insured, and holds Agency License #2138214-DCWP from the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Every server in our network holds an NYC process server license.

Yes. Prepare and file your documents under your own court's rules, then sign up as a new client. Once your account is active, upload the documents and the recipient's details, and we'll serve them in Manhattan under New York law (CPLR) and deliver the affidavit when done. See our page for out-of-state firms.

Manhattan only, from Battery Park to Inwood. We may expand to other boroughs as we grow.

Yes. Every server in our network must hold a current NYC process server license from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). Upload it with your application.

Submit the network application with your NYC process server license details, then read and accept the Process Server Subcontractor Agreement. We review your application, and once you're approved you'll get an email invitation to the Sapphire Legal platform, where you upload your W-9 and license copy.

We are a premium agency and hold every assignment to higher standards: careful attempts, a GPS photo and same-day narrative for every attempt, required mailing done right, and accurate affidavits. Because we expect more, we pay more than typical high-volume agencies.

You're paid per job, and the rate depends on the type of assignment: routine, rush, or registered agent drop-off. Current rates are listed on our Process Servers page, and every assignment shows its rate before you accept. Additions for substitute service with a required mailing or an authorized nail and mail are paid only when your signed affidavit reflects them. You print up to 50 pages per set; extra page pay for larger sets must be requested in the platform before you sign the affidavit. The agreed rate is final. You're paid every two weeks, through our platform only, for all assignments with a signed affidavit (of service or non-service) completed during that pay period.

Serve, photograph, document, and mail when the method of service requires it. Attempt personal service first, with no substitute service before the 3rd attempt and no Sunday service. When the method of service requires a mailing, such as substitute service or nail and mail, complete it yourself and state it in your affidavit. Personal service needs no follow-up mailing. Take a GPS photo and write a same-day narrative for every attempt. Jobs end after the 3rd attempt unless the assignment says otherwise. The full standards are in the Process Server Subcontractor Agreement.

Once service or non-service is documented in our platform, any required mailing is done and documented, and the affidavit is returned. If the job requires notarization, it is complete only when the notarized affidavit is returned.

No. Every assignment is sent with the rate and job details, and you choose whether to accept or decline. Work isn't guaranteed, and volume varies with busy and slow seasons.

No. Network members are independent contractors. You run your own business, no taxes are withheld from your pay, and 1099-NECs are issued where required.

Reliable, well-documented service puts you first in line as we grow. We're building an app where servers are rated, and top-rated servers will get priority on new assignments.

A case generally can't move forward until each defendant is properly served with the summons and complaint. In New York, the summons and complaint generally must be served within 120 days of filing (CPLR 306-b), and improper service can lead to dismissal. A licensed process server serves the papers correctly and provides an affidavit of service to file with the court. Learn more about service of process.

Email contact@sapphirelegalservices.com. We respond to all inquiries within one business day. You can also visit the All Other Inquiries page to pick a topic.