Subpoena Domestication

Our Michigan Private Process Serving Firm is frequently contacted by attorneys from other states seeking to get an out-of-state Subpoena issued in Michigan for cases pending in other states. This process used to be tedious, time-consuming, and expensive.  However, it is now an easy procedure to undertake and can be done by an out-of-state attorney that is not licensed to practice law in Michigan.

Michigan’s Uniform Interstate and Discovery Act

On April 1, 2013, the State of Michigan adopted the Uniform Interstate Discovery Act. The statute is referenced at MCL 600.2201. Prior to that adoption, out-of-state litigants were required to file a new lawsuit in Michigan for the sole purpose of having a subpoena issued by the court. The Act now sets forth the process for requesting a court issue a subpoena for a court case pending in another state. The request for the subpoena does not require the clerk of the court to create a new case, so there will be no case code assigned to the matter.

In addition, the clerk of the court should not collect a fee when the sole purpose of a request is only to issue a subpoena.

The Procedure for Getting A Subpoena Issued in Michigan

To get your Subpoena issued in Michigan, you need to comply with the following:

 

Step 1:  Determine the Proper County

Requests for subpoenas must be made in the county circuit court where discovery is sought.  Discovery can only be sought in the county where a person lives, works, transacts business, or is found.  Therefore, if you want to subpoena records from a business in Detroit, you must make your request in the Wayne County Circuit Court located in Detroit, Michigan. 

Michigan has both circuit Courts and district courts.  It is important that you only request your subpoena through the circuit court, as the act specifies it must be made in that court. 

Michigan has 57 circuit courts located throughout the state.  The circuit courts handle all civil cases with claims more than $25,000 and all felony criminal cases.  Divorce and family law cases are also handled in the circuit, but many courts have a separate Family Law Division.  All divisions typically share the same clerk of the court for case filings, as well as for all other legal pleadings. 

You will need to determine which county to file your request for a subpoena.  A map of all circuit court and district courts in the state can help identify the proper county courthouse to file your paperwork.  You can also just research a particular city to determine its county. If you are unsure on where to file your matter, feel free to email us.  While we are not attorneys nor are we able to provide legal advice, we can share our first-hand knowledge on getting these subpoenas issued.  We have been providing this service for 25 years.

Step 2:  Submit Your Subpoena

Once you determine the proper county, you must submit your out-of-state subpoena to the clerk of the circuit court.  The court clerk must then issue a subpoena to be served on the person who is the subject of the foreign subpoena.  The subpoena must contain the following information:

  • The terms of the out-of-state subpoena. This includes the date, time, and location for the person to appear or items to be produced.  Also, the names of any individuals requested to appear either to testify at deposition or to produce the items, such as a keeper of records.
  • Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all counsel of record. It should also include the same information for any party not represented by an attorney.

Step 3:  Serving Your Subpoena

At Swift Process Servers, LLC., we are very experienced with filing and serving domesticated subpoenas.  We do twice-a-week filings in the following courts.  Filings are typically done on Tuesdays and Thursdays weekly to ensure we can offer a 72-hour turnaround for our regular clients. We offer discounted filing fees for court filings and subpoena domestication if we are handling the service of process on the issued matter.  We also offer rush court filings and service of process if you need assistance on an urgent court filing or service of process.

Courts we offer court filings in:

30th Circuit Court
Ingham County Michigan
313 W. Kalamazoo Street
Lansing, MI 48933
517-483-6522
44th Judicial Circuit Court
Livingston County Michigan
204 S. Highlander Way
Howell, MI 48843
517-546-3060
22nd Judicial Circuit Court
Washtenaw County Michigan
101 E. Huron Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734-222-3001
3rd Judicial Circuit Court
Wayne County Michigan
2 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226
313-224-5261

The form filed in the court with the issuing court’s subpoena is form CC11A

Download the form CC11A

Subpoena domestication is typically quoted on a case-by-case basis.

Fees are based on the following:

Feel free to email us at [email protected] to get a no-obligation quote on your court filing.