Organizing Your California Small Claims Court Case

organizing-court-case-fileThere are certainly many different scenarios out there for which you can file a case with the California small claims court. If you go to the trouble to do so, you need to make sure you have all of your information ready for the hearing. You want to be well organized so you can present the facts of the case. Keep in mind that the more verification and documentation you have that shows your efforts the better chance you will have of getting a judgment that is in your favor.

The process for filing with the California small claims court is very straightforward so don’t be intimidated by it. Keep in mind that your hearing will be from 20 days to 70 days after you file. Don’t wait until the last minute to get all of the materials you need together. Keep them all in a safe place until the day of the hearing. It is a good idea to have a copy of all of the information as well.

You may have all of the information in your head about what took place when but don’t rely on that alone. It is easy to become flustered when you are in the hearing and that means valuable information can be lost. You may lose your credibility too if you confuse some of the facts while speaking. Write down notes for yourself in chronological order so you can refer to them during the hearing.

If you will be relying on any witnesses to speak on your behalf, make sure they understand the importance of being prepared as well. You want them to appear to be credible witnesses so that your information will be more reliable to the judge at the hearing. You also need to make sure they show up on time or they may not be able to present their information relating to the case.

It is important to stick to the facts of the case. This is what the judge will be paying attention to. Leave your emotions and your assumptions about the other party at the door. You need to be confident with your presentation and you also need to show good character. Make sure you know the date and time of your hearing too. You definitely don’t want to show up late for it.

If you aren’t familiar with the location then you need to arrive in plenty of time to deal with parking and finding your way around. If you have the time go to the location in the days before the hearing so you can find your way around. This step can help to relieve a great deal of anxiety on the day of your hearing. If you go to http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/small_claims/court.shtml you will find plenty of great information to assist you with getting organized before the hearing. Most hearing don’t last very long at all. The more organized you are, the faster the process will go. It is extremely hard to argue with documentation that is presented as part of your case. If you don’t have what you need though there is a chance you won’t win the case. Don’t let this happen to you due to not being properly prepared for the hearing. Good luck with your case!

If you have sued and won in a California Small Claims Court and your judgment remains uncollected, we may be interested in purchasing it. Contact Paladin Legal Support and turn your uncollected court judgment into cash.