Legal Definitions - tip-stave

A tip-stave, also known as a servitor of bills, refers to an officer or individual whose primary duty is to deliver or "serve" legal documents to the appropriate parties. This ensures that people involved in a legal matter receive official notification of court proceedings, demands, or other legal actions. Essentially, a tip-stave is responsible for making sure legal papers reach the correct recipients in a legally valid manner.

Here are some examples illustrating the role of a tip-stave:

• Imagine a situation where a small business is suing a client for unpaid services. A tip-stave would be tasked with personally delivering the official court summons and complaint to the client's registered address. This delivery ensures the client is formally notified of the lawsuit and the deadline to respond, allowing the legal process to move forward.

  This example demonstrates the tip-stave's role in initiating a legal action by ensuring the defendant receives proper notice of the lawsuit.

• Consider a criminal trial where the prosecution needs a specific individual to testify about an event they witnessed. A tip-stave would be dispatched to serve a subpoena to that witness, compelling them to appear in court on a particular date. The tip-stave's job is to locate the witness and hand them the official document, confirming they have been legally informed of their obligation to testify.

  Here, the tip-stave facilitates the judicial process by ensuring witnesses are legally compelled and notified to provide testimony.

• In a landlord-tenant dispute, if a landlord decides to evict a tenant for violating the lease agreement, a tip-stave might be employed to deliver the official notice to quit or eviction papers. This ensures the tenant receives formal, legally recognized notification of the landlord's intent to terminate the tenancy and the subsequent legal proceedings, if any.

  This illustrates the tip-stave's function in delivering critical legal notices that can have significant consequences, ensuring due process is followed.