General Appearance

The act by which a defendant completely consents to the jurisdiction of the court by appearing before it either in person or through an authorized representative thereby waiving any jurisdictional defects that might be raised except for that of the competency of the court.

A general appearance differs from a special appearance in which a defendant agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of the court for a restricted purpose, such as to test whether the SERVICE OF PROCESS made upon him or her was legally sufficient.