The French word for “watching over”. The monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people for the purpose of influencing, managing, direction or protecting.

The coordinated hidden surveillance of a location or person for the purpose of gathering evidence.

In civil lawsuits or prosecutions there are many proceedings that require formal notice or writ used by the courts to exercise jurisdiction over a person or property.
Typical serves may include:

• Summons
• Mandate
• Subpoena
• Warrants

Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects individual persons from it.

Indicates the time and place at which service was effected, the person served, and any additional information needed to establish that service was properly made.

Notice is the legal concept in which a party is made aware of a legal process affecting their rights, obligations or duties.