CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

State of Arkansas — Circuit Court

SECTION 1: COURT HEADER AND CASE CAPTION

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF [________________________________] COUNTY, ARKANSAS
[CIVIL / FAMILY / PROBATE / CRIMINAL / JUVENILE] DIVISION
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

[________________________________],
Plaintiff,

v. Case No. [________________________________]

[________________________________],
Defendant.

SECTION 2: DOCUMENT(S) SERVED

The following document(s) were served:

SECTION 3: CERTIFICATE STATEMENT

Pursuant to Rule 5 of the Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure and Arkansas Administrative Order No. 21, I, [________________________________], certify that on [__/__/____] I served the above-listed document(s) upon the persons listed below.

SECTION 4: PARTIES / COUNSEL SERVED

Recipient 1

Name: [________________________________]
Capacity: ☐ Attorney for Plaintiff ☐ Attorney for Defendant ☐ Pro Se Party ☐ Other: [________________]
Firm/Organization: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
Email: [________________________________]
Arkansas Bar No. (if attorney): [____________________]

Method of Service:

☐ eFlex Electronic Filing System — Document filed through Arkansas eFlex (Arkansas Judiciary electronic filing system). Service on registered users is automatic per Admin. Order No. 21, § 7.
(eFlex Confirmation No.: [________________________________])

☐ Email (written consent under Ark. R. Civ. P. 5(b)(2)(D)) — Sent to: [________________________________]
(Written consent obtained on [__/__/____] and on file. Email sent at [____:____] [AM/PM] CST/CDT.)

☐ First-Class U.S. Mail — Sealed envelope, postage prepaid, deposited at:
Location: [________________________________], Arkansas
Time: [____:____] [AM/PM]

☐ Certified Mail, Return Receipt Requested — Cert. No.: [________________________________]

☐ Hand Delivery / Personal Delivery — Delivered at:
Location: [________________________________]
Time: [____:____] [AM/PM]
Delivered by: [________________________________]

☐ Commercial Delivery Service — Via: [________________________________]
Tracking No.: [________________________________]

Recipient 2

Name: [________________________________]
Capacity: ☐ Attorney for Plaintiff ☐ Attorney for Defendant ☐ Pro Se Party ☐ Other: [________________]
Firm/Organization: [________________________________]
Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
Email: [________________________________]

Method of Service:

☐ eFlex — Conf. No.: [________________________________]
☐ Email (consent on file) — Sent to: [________________________________] at [____:____] [AM/PM]
☐ First-Class U.S. Mail — Deposited at [________________________________], Arkansas
☐ Certified Mail — Cert. No.: [________________________________]
☐ Hand Delivery — At [________________________________] at [____:____] [AM/PM]
☐ Commercial Delivery — Tracking No.: [________________________________]

Recipient 3 (if applicable)

Name: [________________________________]
Capacity: ☐ Attorney for Plaintiff ☐ Attorney for Defendant ☐ Pro Se Party ☐ Other: [________________]
Address / Email: [________________________________]

Method of Service:

☐ eFlex — Conf. No.: [________________________________]
☐ Email — Sent to: [________________________________]
☐ First-Class U.S. Mail — Deposited at [________________________________]
☐ Hand Delivery
☐ Other: [________________________________]

Add additional recipients as needed.

SECTION 5: ARKANSAS eFLEX — ELECTRONIC FILING AND SERVICE

Arkansas eFlex (hosted at efile.arcourts.gov) is the Arkansas Judiciary's electronic filing system for courts using the Contexte Case Management System:

☐ All parties' counsel are registered eFlex users — service was completed automatically upon e-filing
☐ Some parties are not registered eFlex users — manual service was used (described above)
☐ The court/county does not use eFlex — manual service was used for all parties

eFlex Filing Confirmation:
- eFlex Confirmation/Reference No.: [________________________________]
- Date/Time of Submission: [__/__/____] at [____:____] [AM/PM] CT
- Filing Status: ☐ Accepted ☐ Pending Review ☐ Rejected (describe: [________________])

eFlex Service Mechanism:
Under Arkansas Administrative Order No. 21, § 7, when a document is filed through eFlex, the system automatically notifies all registered parties by email. This electronic notification constitutes service on registered parties. The filing attorney must separately serve any parties who are not registered in eFlex.

Participating Courts:
eFlex operates in counties/courts using the Contexte Case Management System. Not all Arkansas courts participate. Verify whether the court handling your case uses eFlex. For courts not on eFlex, use traditional service methods.

SECTION 6: EMAIL SERVICE — CONSENT REQUIREMENTS

Arkansas Rule of Civil Procedure 5(b)(2)(D) permits email service when the recipient has consented in writing:

☐ Written consent to email service was obtained from the recipient on [__/__/____]
☐ Consent is documented: ☐ In a signed agreement ☐ In a court filing ☐ By email confirmation ☐ Other: [________________]
☐ No consent was obtained; email service was NOT used

Important: Unlike some states, Arkansas requires written consent before a party can be served by email. Do not serve by email without prior written consent in hand.

SECTION 7: SELF-REPRESENTED PARTY SERVICE

(Complete if any party is self-represented and not registered in eFlex.)

☐ A self-represented (pro se) party was served. Details:

Pro Se Party Name: [________________________________]
Mailing Address: [________________________________]
City, State, ZIP: [________________________________]
County: [________________________________]

Method:
☐ First-Class U.S. Mail — Deposited at [________________________________], Arkansas on [__/__/____]
☐ Certified Mail — Cert. No.: [________________________________]
☐ Hand Delivery — At [________________________________] on [__/__/____]
☐ Email — Email: [________________________________] (written consent provided on [__/__/____])

Note: Self-represented parties who are not registered in eFlex must be served by traditional means unless they have provided written consent to email service.

SECTION 8: MULTIPLE-PARTY SERVICE TABLE

SECTION 9: DATE AND TIME OF SERVICE

Date of Service: [__/__/____]
Time of Service / Transmission: [____:____] [AM/PM] Central Time (CST / CDT)
City/Location of Mailing or Delivery: [________________________________], Arkansas

SECTION 10: MAIL RULE — TIME COMPUTATION (ARK. R. CIV. P. 6(e))

Arkansas 3-Day Mail Rule:

When any party is required to act within a prescribed period after service by mail, Ark. R. Civ. P. 6(e) adds 3 calendar days to that period.

Example: A motion served by first-class mail on Monday requires a response within [X + 3] days, where X is the prescribed response period.

SECTION 11: VERIFICATION

I certify under penalty of perjury that the foregoing information is true and correct to the best of my knowledge.

Date: [__/__/____]

_____________________________________________
[________________________________]
Arkansas Bar No. [____________________]
[________________________________] (Law Firm)
[________________________________] (Street Address)
[________________________________], Arkansas [________] (City, ZIP)
Telephone: ([____]) [____]-[________]
Email: [________________________________]
Attorney for [________________________________] / Pro Se [Party]

SECTION 12: E-FILING INSTRUCTIONS (eFLEX)

How eFlex Service Works:

1. Attorney creates an account at efile.arcourts.gov.
2. Attorney uploads documents and submits the filing envelope.
3. eFlex reviews the submission and, upon acceptance, stamps the document with the filing date and time.
4. eFlex automatically sends email notifications to all registered parties, constituting service.
5. The filing attorney receives a confirmation email with a reference number.
6. For non-registered parties, the filer must separately serve by mail, hand delivery, or email (with consent).

Retention:
Retain eFlex confirmation emails and reference numbers in the case file. In the event of a dispute regarding service, these serve as proof.

Courts Not on eFlex:
Arkansas courts that do not use the Contexte CMS and eFlex require traditional paper filing and service. Confirm which system your court uses before selecting a service method.

SECTION 13: SPECIAL SUBJECT MATTER NOTES

Domestic Relations / Family Law:
Arkansas domestic relations proceedings (divorce, custody, support) may have specific local rules or standing orders regarding service. Check for administrative orders in the county circuit court.

Probate:
Probate proceedings in Arkansas require specific service on interested parties identified in the petition. Consult Ark. Code Ann. § 28-1-101 et seq. for probate-specific service requirements.

Juvenile / Child Welfare:
Service in juvenile proceedings is governed by Ark. Code Ann. § 9-27-301 et seq. and may require service on the Department of Human Services. Verify specific requirements.

Criminal Cases:
Ark. R. Crim. P. 17 governs service in criminal matters. The criminal rules differ from the civil rules.

SECTION 14: PRACTITIONER NOTES

Arkansas eFlex vs. CM/ECF:
Arkansas state courts use eFlex (for state courts using Contexte). Federal courts in Arkansas use CM/ECF. Do not confuse the two systems. This certificate of service template is for Arkansas state court proceedings only.

Email Service — Written Consent Required:
Unlike states where email service is available without consent, Arkansas requires written consent before email service under Ark. R. Civ. P. 5(b)(2)(D). Obtain this consent early in the litigation, ideally through a discovery scheduling order or by agreement at the outset. Document the consent carefully.

3-Day Mail Rule:
When a deadline is triggered by service and mail was used, add 3 calendar days. This affects response deadlines for motions, objections to discovery, and other time-sensitive filings. Attorneys who consistently use eFlex avoid this complication because eFlex service does not trigger the mail rule extension.

Retained Records:
Arkansas Bar Association records retention guidelines recommend retaining client files for at least 7 years. Service records should be maintained throughout the case and for the appropriate retention period.

This template was prepared for use in Arkansas state court practice. It is not a substitute for independent legal research and attorney judgment. Verify all citations and procedures against current Arkansas Rules of Civil Procedure and Administrative Order No. 21.