Process serving · Southern Ontario
Personal service of legal documents for legal professionals, businesses and individuals across Southern Ontario. Careful preparation, an update after every attempt, and thorough documentation from request to completion.
Representing yourself? You're welcome here too. See how we can help.
$160
Your written estimate confirms the details before any work begins.
What's included
Need it sooner? Expedited and immediate first attempts are available.
See all feesSelf-represented clients
You are welcome to work with Steadfast directly. We will explain our process and fees in plain terms and keep you updated throughout.
We cannot give legal advice or tell you which method of service your matter requires, so please confirm that with the court's resources or a licensed legal professional first. Once you know what is required, we will follow your instructions carefully.
Contact SteadfastGet started
Either is a good place to start. Where timing is important, tell us when you get in touch.
Home/Services
Whether a matter requires routine service, urgent attention or assistance beyond our regional service area, we approach every assignment with care, thorough documentation and clear communication.
What to expect
The need for our services is often connected to circumstances that are personal, emotional and consequential. Every assignment is handled with care, professionalism and accountability.
Each Request for Service is reviewed before work begins: instructions, documents, deadline and location. If something is unclear, we ask first.
You hear the outcome of each attempt as soon as reasonably practicable, so you are never left chasing a status.
A detailed Service Report and the appropriate proof of service. When service is effected, a Certificate of Effected Service confirms it.
Our Standard Personal Service includes up to three attempts to personally serve the required documents. Regional mileage and up to twenty pages of black-and-white printing are included, along with service updates throughout the assignment.
Once our work is complete, you receive a detailed Service Report and the appropriate proof of service, such as an Affidavit of Service. When service has been effected, a Certificate of Effected Service confirms it.
When documents require urgent attention, Steadfast offers expedited and immediate options. Expedited requests receive a first attempt within forty-eight hours, and immediate requests receive a first attempt within twelve hours. These options provide a faster response without changing the care, preparation or documentation applied to the assignment.
Urgent requests are assessed against availability, service requirements, location and applicable deadlines. Timeframes apply to the first attempt; completed service always depends on circumstances outside anyone's control.
Some individuals cannot be reached within the three attempts included with Standard Personal Service. When further attempts are appropriate or requested, Steadfast can continue working to effect service using the available information and the circumstances surrounding the file. Further attempts begin only with your authorization.
When timing or circumstances make it appropriate, Steadfast can remain at a service location and wait for an opportunity to complete an attempt. This option may be useful when there is reason to believe the individual will arrive or become available within a particular period.
Steadfast can print documents in black and white or colour according to the requirements of the request. Standard Personal Service includes up to twenty black-and-white pages, and additional or colour printing can be arranged when needed.
Our services are not limited to the regional service area. When an assignment requires travel beyond the region, Steadfast can coordinate long-distance service while maintaining the same communication, documentation and professional standards applied to local requests.
Some requests require searches that support service, commissioning services or other reasonable third-party expenses before the assignment can be completed. When these circumstances arise, Steadfast will communicate with you and ensure that the necessary steps and related costs are clearly documented.
Home/Fees
Predictable pricing, stated plainly. Every assignment begins with a written estimate for your approval, so you know the expected cost before any work begins.
The standard
$160
First attempt within 48 hours, subject to confirmed availability.
First attempt within 12 hours, subject to confirmed availability.
Each further attempt within the service region.
If requested, time spent at the service location waiting for an opportunity to attempt service.
Beyond the 20 pages included with Standard Personal Service.
If requested.
For service requested outside the regular service area. Distance and travel are confirmed in your estimate.
Reasonable costs paid in carrying out a Request for Service, including searches and commissioning services.
Home/Service Area
Professional process serving and related support across Southern Ontario, with regular coverage concentrated in three primary regions: Hamilton, Haldimand-Norfolk & Brant, and the Niagara Region.
These areas form the core of our day-to-day operations and allow us to provide responsive, dependable service across urban centres, smaller communities, rural properties and the areas in between. Our familiarity with the region helps us approach each Request for Service with an understanding of the geography, travel considerations and practical realities that can influence successful service.
Hamilton and its surrounding communities represent a central part of Steadfast's service area. From the urban core to the Mountain, Stoney Creek, Ancaster, Dundas, Waterdown, Flamborough and surrounding areas, Steadfast is positioned to provide reliable coverage throughout the region.
Communities include
Steadfast provides service throughout Haldimand County, Norfolk County, Brant County, the City of Brantford and their surrounding communities. This region includes a significant mix of rural and urban locations, and our service model is designed to accommodate the additional planning, travel and location-specific considerations these assignments can require.
Coverage includes
Haldimand: Caledonia, Cayuga, Dunnville, Hagersville and Jarvis.
Norfolk: Simcoe, Port Dover, Delhi, Waterford and Port Rowan.
Brant & Brantford: Brantford, Paris, St. George, Burford and surrounding communities.
Our regular coverage extends throughout the Niagara Region, including its cities, towns and surrounding communities. Whether service is required in a major population centre or at a more remote location within the region, Steadfast approaches each assignment with the same attention to preparation, documentation and communication.
Coverage includes
Including surrounding communities and rural properties.
Our service area does not represent a hard boundary. When a Request for Service requires travel beyond our regular regional coverage, Steadfast is prepared to go further. Long-distance assignments can be coordinated for subjects located elsewhere in Ontario where the circumstances of the file warrant direct attendance.
For clients, this means a difficult location or considerable distance does not necessarily require handing the file to another provider. Where practical, Steadfast can remain responsible for the assignment from beginning to end, with the same communication, documentation and accountability regardless of how far the service takes us.
Distance and travel are confirmed in your written estimate before any work begins.
Home/How It Works
Working with Steadfast is designed to be straightforward: clear steps, clear communication and dependable follow-through, from the moment a request is submitted until the assignment is complete.
The client instructs. Steadfast verifies. Steadfast executes and documents.
Call or email with the basics: what needs serving, where, and by when. If timing is tight, say so right away.
Helps you determine the appropriate next step, whether you are ready to proceed or still have questions.
New clients complete a one-time intake. For each assignment, you submit a Request for Service with your matter details, documents, deadline and instructions.
Guides new clients through each intake step. Returning clients simply submit a new request through the established process.
Answer any follow-up questions and supply anything that is missing.
Reviews the request, documents, deadline and location, and confirms the work relates to a genuine legal matter. If anything is unclear, we ask before going further.
Review the written estimate and approve it when you are ready.
Issues a clear estimate based on the current Schedule of Fees. The assignment becomes active once you approve it.
Stay informed without having to chase a status.
Prepares carefully, attempts service and sends an update after every attempt. Each new attempt is planned using what the previous one revealed.
We then wait for your instructions. No further attempt is made without your authorization.
Before you call
The more accurate the information, the better the chance of timely service.
Missing something? Mark it as unknown and we will work through it together.
Steadfast Search & Service was created to be a reliable partner to those managing and navigating important legal matters in Ontario.
We recognize that the need for our services is often connected to circumstances that are personal, emotional and consequential. Our objective is to provide clients with confidence and peace of mind by handling every assignment with care, professionalism and accountability.
Serving legal documents is more than a delivery. Each Request for Service may involve sensitive information, strict deadlines and circumstances requiring critical thinking and sound judgment. We manage these responsibilities carefully, document our work thoroughly and keep our clients informed from the moment a request is submitted until the assignment is complete.
Through clear communication and detailed processes, we work to resolve uncertainties, answer questions and ensure that service instructions are understood and followed. We remain adaptable throughout each assignment, responding thoughtfully when circumstances change or unexpected challenges arise.
Steadfast is prepared to travel wherever an assignment reasonably requires. When our clients need dependable service beyond the immediate area, we will work with them to determine how best to get it done.
The founder
Founder · Licensed private investigator · P1 Paralegal Candidate
Clay McAllister is the founder of Steadfast Search & Service. He is a licensed private investigator with a multidisciplinary background spanning legal studies, investigations, business operations, client relations and territory management.
Clay brings together a strong understanding of legal procedure with years of experience working directly with clients, managing responsibilities independently, and operating in environments where professionalism, communication, judgment and attention to detail are essential to success.
Through Steadfast, Clay brings that combination of legal knowledge, investigative training, superior customer service and personal accountability to every file, providing clients with a professional service they can rely on when effectiveness and efficiency are paramount.
His approach
Home/Contact
Whether you are ready to arrange service or simply need to discuss the circumstances of a file, Steadfast Search & Service is available to help you determine the appropriate next step.
Working with Steadfast is designed to be straightforward. Returning clients can submit a new Request for Service using our established process, while new clients are guided through the necessary intake steps before service begins.
If questions arise at any point, or if a matter involves unusual circumstances, deadlines or special instructions, we are available to discuss the file, understand the nuance and plan the way forward.
Once we understand the requirements of your matter, we review the information provided, address any outstanding details and issue a clear service estimate for approval before work begins.
Where timing is important, please let us know when you contact us. Requests requiring immediate or expedited attention are assessed against availability, service requirements, location and applicable deadlines.
Clear communication, careful preparation and dependable follow-through.
Get Started with Steadfast
To get the process started, please submit the following information. We reply with next steps and, once we understand the requirements, a written estimate for your approval.
Please check your information before sending it to Steadfast. You can also download a copy for your records.
