The Small Claims Court is a service
provided by the Court Service which is designed to be as "user friendly"
as possible. The upper limit on claims handled by the Small Claims Court is
£5,000.00 for money claims and £1,000.00 for personal injury
claims.
The ethos of the Small Claims Court is that Claimant's should be
able to state their claim to a District Judge (formerly Stipendiary Magistrate)
without the requirement for legal representation.
In general Civil Procedure
Rules do not apply and this is very useful for the lay person who would
normally be ensnared in complex legal requirements and the complicated rules in
respect of evidence.
Usually, hearings are held in informal surroundings
(judge in chambers) which simply means that everyone involved sits around a
table and is able to contribute to the proceedings.
Because of the user
friendly attitude to claims allocated to the Small Claims Track, Claimants are
provided with Directions by the court which must be adhered to but also prevent
the Claimant from making avoidable errors.
Initially, the Claimant should follow a
series of procedures which are fully explained on this web site at
Our Service and at
Appearing In Court. The details are
explained but please be aware that our service is designed to prompt you at
each stage to ensure that the correct action is adopted. We have also included
a Definitions page to dispel confusion about
legal terms, various court procedures and Defendant behaviour.
Regrettably, appearing in court can be
a rather stressful experience. These pages are designed to provide as much
information as possible and our service is structured to ensure that any
Claimant going into court is well prepared and in a position to state their
case with confidence.
The Small Claims subject has been divided into
"bite sized chunks" in order to make it as easy as possible for Claimants to
follow the process.
If you have any queries please contact us by either
email or telephone from our Contact Page or
submit your full details by going to our simple submit form.
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