Rule 4-203.1 - Uniform Service(a) Lawyers shall inform the Membership Department of the State Bar of Georgia, in writing, of their current name, official address and telephone number. The Supreme Court of Georgia and the State Bar of Georgia may rely on the official address on file with the Membership Department in all efforts to contact, communicate with, and perfect service upon a lawyer. The choice of a lawyer to provide only a post office box or commercial equivalent address to the Membership Department of the State Bar of Georgia shall constitute an election to waive personal service. Notification of a change of address given to any department of the State Bar of Georgia other than the Membership Department shall not satisfy the requirement herein.(b) In all matters requiring personal service under Part IV of the Bar Rules, service may be perfected in the following manner:(1) Acknowledgment of Service: An acknowledgment of service from the respondent shall constitute conclusive proof of service and shall eliminate the need to utilize any other form of service.(2) Written Response from Respondent: A written response from the respondent or respondent's counsel shall constitute conclusive proof of service and shall eliminate the need to utilize any other form of service.(3) In the absence of an acknowledgment of service or a written response from the respondent or respondent's counsel, and subject to the provisions of subparagraph (b) (4) below, the respondent shall be served in the following manner: (i) Personal Service: Service may be accomplished by the Sheriff or any other person authorized to serve a summons under the provisions of the Georgia Civil Practice Act, as approved by the Chair of the State Disciplinary Board or the Chair's designee. Receipt of a Return of Service Non Est Inventus shall constitute conclusive proof that service cannot be perfected by personal service.(ii) Service by Publication: If personal service cannot be perfected, or when the respondent has only provided a post office box or commercial equivalent address to the Membership Department and the respondent has not acknowledged service within 10 days of a mailing to respondent's post office box or commercial equivalent address, service may be accomplished by publication once a week for two weeks in the legal organ of the county of respondent's address, as shown on the records of the Membership Department of the State Bar of Georgia, and, contemporaneously with the publication, mailing a copy of the service documents by first class mail to respondent's address as shown on the records of the Membership Department of the State Bar of Georgia.(4) When it appears from an affidavit made by the Office of the General Counsel that the respondent has departed from the State, or cannot, after due diligence, be found within the State, or seeks to avoid the service, the Chair of the State Disciplinary Board, or the Chair's designee, may authorize service by publication without the necessity of first attempting personal service. The affidavit made by the Office of the General Counsel must demonstrate recent unsuccessful attempts at personal service upon the respondent regarding other or related disciplinary matters and that such personal service was attempted at respondent's address as shown on the records of the Membership Department of the State Bar of Georgia. (c) Whenever service of pleadings or other documents subsequent to the original complaint is required or permitted to be made upon a respondent represented by a lawyer, the service shall be made upon the respondent's lawyer. Service upon the respondent's lawyer or upon an unrepresented respondent shall be made by hand-delivery or by delivering a copy or mailing a copy to the respondent's lawyer or to the respondent's official address on file with the Membership Department, unless the respondent's lawyer specifies a different address for the lawyer in a filed pleading. As used in this Rule, the term "delivering a copy" means handing it to the respondent's lawyer or to the respondent, or leaving it at the lawyer's or respondent's office with a person of suitable age or, if the office is closed or the person to be served has no office, leaving it at the person's dwelling house or usual place of abode with some person of suitable age and discretion. Service by mail is complete upon mailing and includes transmission by U.S. Mail, or by a third-party commercial carrier for delivery within three business days, shown by the official postmark or by the commercial carrier's transmittal form. Proof of service may be made by certificate of a lawyer or of his employee, written admission, affidavit, or other satisfactory proof. Failure to make proof of service shall not affect the validity of service.Ga. R. Prof. Cond. 4-203.1