The Louisiana Notice of Lawsuit and Request for Waiver of Service of Summons is a document used by plaintiffs to initiate a civil lawsuit in the state of Louisiana. It is used to inform the defendant of a pending lawsuit and to request that the defendant waive the service of summons. The document must be served on the defendant before the lawsuit can proceed. There are two types of Louisiana Notice of Lawsuit and Request for Waiver of Service of Summons: (1) a traditional Notice of Lawsuit and Request for Waiver of Service of Summons, which is used in ordinary civil lawsuits; and (2) an Abbreviated Notice of Lawsuit and Request for Waiver of Service of Summons, which is used in certain summary proceedings, such as those relating to child support or spousal support. The Notice of Lawsuit and Request for Waiver of Service of Summons must include the name of the court and the case number, the name of the plaintiff and the defendant, the nature of the case, the date of the filing of the lawsuit, and the date by which the defendant must respond to the request for waiver. It must also include a statement informing the defendant of their right to be represented by an attorney. The Abbreviated Notice of Lawsuit and Request for Waiver of Service of Summons must include the same information as the traditional Notice, but in a condensed format. Once served, the defendant must return the signed request for waiver of service of summons to the plaintiff within 30 days. If the defendant does not respond within this time frame, the plaintiff must serve the defendant with the summons and complaint via certified mail or a process server.