Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court in California

The only guide to California Small Claims Court that provides tips by former judges!

The definitive guide to California Small Claims Court for more than 25 years, this plain-English guide gives you step-by-step instructions to bring or defend your case –from preparing evidence and lining up persuasive witnesses, to making a presentation in court and collecting the money you're awarded.

Everybody's Guide to Small Claims Court in California shows you how to:

decide if you have a winning casemediate a settlement if possibledetermine how much to sue forwrite your demand letterfile and serve papersprepare evidence and witnesses for courtplan a winning courtroom strategyconvince the judge that you are rightcollect your money when you win With a proven sales record over the last 20-plus years, the 17th edition – updated with the new notarization requirements for California and the ruling on Security Deposit Interest for California Landlords in Rent Control Cities also explains how to handle disputes involving Internet transactions. Go after the money that's owed you – represent yourself in small claims court and win!Summary: Good ReferenceRating: 5It had all the data I needed. A good reference for going to Court.Summary: Well done!Rating: 5Well-laid out topics, suggestions and hints to avoid putting yourself in a precarious situation. The book covers almost everything that you can possibly think of. Summary: Excellent self help guide on the subjectRating: 5If you are reading this review, you are most probably a prospective plaintiff considering recovering losses you incurred in an auto accident through the small claims court process. This guide will help you tremendously. The NoLo series is an incredible service to mankind. It is the equivalent to the Dummies series focused on the Law. And, who besides expensive lawyers really understand the Law? Readers who have studied NoLo books! The book is very well organized. Even though there is a lot of material, it is easy to extract the information pertaining to your very specific situation. The author covers a lot of those; as he dedicates specific chapters to auto repairs, auto accidents, lord-tenant dispute, etc… The author states that he covers the main type of cases that account for 99% of the cases tried in small claim courts. I believe him. If your case is outside those presented, there is a good chance it does not belong in small claims court. The author gives crucial information about the basics of small claim courts. If you are not a lawyer, you are unfamiliar with all the procedures associated with it. Thanks to this book, you will know exactly what to do and when to file, prepare, and try a claim in small claims court. Once you have done the studying and the preparing it is not all that difficult. And, this book allows you to navigate through a bureaucratic process that would appear overwhelming and Byzantine otherwise. This is my second NoLo book and hopefully the last. Who wants to deal with the Law if you don't have to? My first one was on how to fight a ticket. Thanks to NoLo, I reduced the price of my ticket by $120. Now, I anticipate recovering the cost of a fender bender where I am dealing with one uninsured and one unwilling party. It is not fun, but those NoLo books allow you to uphold your rights when you have to. Summary: START WITH THIS BOOK FIRSTRating: 5If you want to make less mistakes, save time and money, it's best to start with this book so you can get the correct service, venue, and evidence organized to file and win. I found the chapter on how to write a demand letter and settle your claim before it gets to court very helpful. They even offer sample letters you use to settle your case. Nolo Press seems to put together the best legal self help books.Summary: Win in Small Claims Court!Rating: 4If you have a claim involving $5,000 or less, you can easily and inexpensively bring an action in Small Claims Court. But even though Small Claims Court is designed for non-attorneys (in fact, attorneys are not allowed) you still must have a basic understanding of the rules of evidence and know how to put on your case. Invest a little time to read this book, and you will stand a much better chance of winning.