The District of Columbia Precise is a legal document used in the Washington, D.C. area to initiate the process of filing a lawsuit. The Precise informs the court of the plaintiff's request for a writ of summons, which is the document that officially begins the legal process. The Precise is also used to assign a specific court date and to name the defendant(s). There are two types of District of Columbia Precise: the Precise for Summons with Notice and the Precise for Summons without Notice. The Precise for Summons with Notice is used when the defendant is aware of the lawsuit and can be served with notice of the court date. The Precise for Summons without Notice is used when the defendant is not aware of the lawsuit and cannot be served with notice of the court date.