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Getting Started in Small Claims Court: Professional Representation and Proper Documents per Forms and Rules
Question: What do I need to know about commencing a lawsuit in Small Claims Court?
Answer: Starting a lawsuit involves filing a formal document called a Plaintiff's Claim, known as Form 7A, and understanding the complexities that can arise—such as potential counterclaims or errors in the claim. Zofa Legal can assist you in navigating these intricacies to ensure your case is presented effectively and with careful consideration of all factors involved.
Commencing Proceedings and Retaining Legal Counsel for Small Claims Court
To start a case in the Small Claims Court requires the issuing of a document known as a Plaintiff's Claim. The Plaintiff's Claim is a form, known as Form 7A, and is available online. The main parts of the Form 7A document are quite easy to complete as such simply involves filling in a few blanks of information. The more challenging aspect of starting a lawsuit is knowing what parts of the story to say and what parts of the story to avoid saying, if any. There are various rules regarding the extent of information that is required. The rules on starting a Small Claims Court lawsuit, referred to formally as commencing a proceeding, are found in Rule 7 of the Rules of the Small Claims Court.
Although people may think of Small Claims Court cases as an informal legal process, and indeed there are many Small Claims Court cases that are relatively simple enough that minimal, if any, legal training is required, there are still many concerns to consider. Concerns to carefully consider include:
- What if I am countersued by the Defendant?
- What if I lose the case?
- What if I lose and the Defendant seeks costs against me?
- What if the Defendant sues another person as a 'third party'?
- What if I get a name wrong?
- What if the case becomes more complicated than originally expected?
The above questions, and many more, deserve careful review before haphazardly starting a lawsuit. Understanding and carefully reviewing the potential complications, considerations, and consequences, before starting a lawsuit is highly important.