A. A pleading which is required to be served, but which may not be served under Article 1313, shall be served by the sheriff by either of the following:
Art. 1314.Same; Service By Sheriff
Book II. Ordinary Proceedings · Title II. Citation and Service of Process · Chapter 5. Service of Pleadings · Last amended 2012 · Last verified July 30, 2026
In one sentenceArticle 1314 sends any pleading that must be served but doesn't qualify for service under Article 1313 to the sheriff, who serves it on the adverse party directly or on counsel of record's office, including office staff, and cuts off service on former counsel once a judgment has become final and unappealed.
Full Text of Art. 1314
(a) Personal service on the counsel of record of the adverse party or delivery of a copy of the pleading to the clerk of court, if there is no counsel of record and the address of the adverse party is not known.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in Article 2293, service may not be made on the counsel of record after a final judgment terminating or disposing of all issues litigated has been rendered, the delays for appeal have lapsed, and no timely appeal has been taken.
B. Personal service on a partner or office associate of a counsel of record, including a secretary, receptionist, legal staff, administrative staff, or paralegal in the employ of the counsel of record, at the office address of record of the counsel of record shall constitute valid service under Paragraph A of this Article.
Amendment History
Amended by Acts 1968, No. 125, §1; Acts 1997, No. 268, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1056, §1; Acts 1999, No. 1263, §1, eff. 1/1/2000; Acts 2001, No. 512, §1; Acts 2012, No. 242, §1.
Plain-English Summary
Not every pleading fits the mail-delivery-or-electronic-means options Article 1313 offers. When a pleading has to be served but doesn't qualify for those informal methods, Article 1314 steps in and puts the job back with the sheriff. Under Paragraph A, the sheriff can serve the adverse party directly, using the same range of methods available for citation. Alternatively, the sheriff can personally serve counsel of record, or, if there's no counsel of record and the adverse party's address is unknown, deliver a copy to the clerk of court.
The article draws a firm line on how long service on counsel of record can go on. Once a final judgment has resolved every issue litigated, the deadline to appeal has passed, and no timely appeal was taken, service can no longer be made on that counsel — the litigation that made the attorney the proper recipient of court papers has run its course. A separate article, Article 2293, carves out its own exception to that cutoff for certain post-judgment matters.
Paragraph B widens who at counsel's office can validly accept that service. Personal service on a partner or office associate of counsel of record, including a secretary, receptionist, legal staff, administrative staff, or paralegal, at the office address of record, counts as valid service on counsel under this article — a party doesn't need to catch the attorney personally at the desk.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Article 1314 apply instead of Article 1313?
When a pleading has to be served but doesn't qualify for the mail, delivery, or electronic-means options in Article 1313. In that situation, the sheriff serves it instead, either on the adverse party directly or on counsel of record.
Can a subpoena or pleading be served on a receptionist or paralegal at a lawyer's office?
Yes. Paragraph B makes personal service on a partner, office associate, secretary, receptionist, legal staff member, administrative staff member, or paralegal at counsel's office address valid service on counsel of record.
Can a pleading still be served on my attorney after my case is completely over?
Generally, no. Once a final judgment has disposed of every litigated issue, the appeal delays have run, and no timely appeal was taken, service can no longer be made on counsel of record, subject to a narrow exception in Article 2293.
Source & verification. Article text is reproduced verbatim from
the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure (legis.la.gov). Enacted by the Louisiana Legislature.
Last verified July 30, 2026.
· Official source
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