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Your Law Firm Partner for Demand Letters & Small Claims Court

Don't face legal disputes alone. Transparent, fixed pricing for peace of mind.

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Ranked the #1 Small Claims Assistance Service on Trustpilot:

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Thanks to this website and the amazing team behind it, I am able to solve most of legality issues for my business.

PAA
August 15, 2024

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Justice Direct and People Clerk did an excellent job of helping me organize and file my small claims case. They went the full route finding that my defendant was actually a branch of a national LLC. I may have had trouble collecting if they had gone the extra mile in researching that. Their help in completing the paperwork and arranging for service of process saved me hours of effort. Outstanding organization!

Lowell R.
August 8, 2024

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I felt supported from Start to finish. All of my questions were answered in a timely manner and explained in easily to understand verbiage. I now wait for my court date to arrive! Thank you for taking the stress off of my shoulders to get my small claims case filed correctly!

Suzanne
July 26, 2024

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People Clerk is Now Part of JusticeDirect Law

We have joined together to help you navigate demand letters and small claims court. It's the same great team helping you get justice.

Learn more about the merger ➜

Why JusticeDirect Law?

Our Lawyers

Our attorneys have handled thousands of small claims cases and demand letters.

Online Case Dashboard

Always know the status of your dispute with our real-time case dashboard, email updates, and text messages.

Client Focused

You will always have access to our Customer Success Team, as we know legal disputes can feel overwhelming.

FAQs

In California:

  • Small claims hearings are normally scheduled 30-75 days after the lawsuit is filed.

  • Most judges decide cases within 7-14 days after the hearing.

Here are some factors that go into whether you will win your small claims lawsuit:

  1. Are you right on the law? Whether the law is on your side depends on your case type and the laws that apply. We also have hundreds of free articles on legal information available on JusticeDirect Academy. Your attorney will also provide you with guidance on your case.

  2. Did you follow the right procedure? This is where we excel. We ensure that you have followed all the correct steps so that you are prepared for your day in court and your hearing.

  3. Did you organize your evidence? As part of our process, you will upload all your evidence, and our software will help you organize it into a judge-friendly evidence packet. Your attorney will also provide feedback on organizing your evidence packet.

If you need to sue in small claims court but live outside the filing state (or don't live close to the courthouse where you need to file), we may still be able to assist you. Many courts offer virtual hearings. Please email us at [email protected] to confirm whether your filing court offers virtual hearings.

In general, you can file a case in a California small claims court as long as:

  • You are suing for $12,500 or less if you are an individual ($6,250 if you are suing on behalf of a corporation or LLCs), and

  • There isn't a better court to handle your lawsuit (for example, there is a specific court for evictions in California, so you can't sue for small claims to evict someone).

Here are common types of small claims lawsuits:

  • Your landlord did not return your security deposit.

  • You lent someone money, and they won't pay you back.

  • Someone hit your car, and now they won't pay for the damages to your car.

  • A towing company caused damage to your car and won't pay to fix it.

  • A company won't give you a refund.

  • Your clients won't pay you.

  • You hired a mechanic to repair your car, and they did a terrible job.

  • Someone broke a contract they had with you.

  • Someone damaged your property, and they won't pay to fix or replace the damages.

  • You paid a contractor to fix your bathroom, but they never showed up.

Yes, we will file your lawsuit for you. We will ensure the court files your lawsuit and keep you updated on the status.

We pride ourselves on knowing how to navigate different court filing processes.

This applies to California small claims cases.

After your lawsuit is filed, the next step is to let the other party know that they have been sued. This is called serving.

We currently have two serving options:

  1. Process Server. We will hire a process server to serve the other party. Process servers charge $85. If the process server isn't able to serve, we will let you know and provide you with options on how to proceed. A process server will try to serve at the address you provide up to 4 times unless it becomes clear that the address is incorrect.

  2. Friend. We will ship a packet directly to a friend or family member of your choice with detailed step-by-step serving instructions. This option is included in our pricing. The friend or family that you select needs to be over 18 years old and cannot be involved with what happened in your case.

We will also file the Proof of Service with the court for you.

This information applies to California small claims.

We will send you multiple hearing date reminders by email and text message.

We will also send you case updates each step of the process so that you always know your case status and next steps. Your case status will also always be available on our case dashboard.

You will need to keep an eye out for any mail from the other party or the court and let us know if the court has changed your hearing date or if the other party has requested a change of hearing date.

No, in California you are only allowed to represent yourself at the small claims hearing. We will provide you with everything you need to be prepared, including a judge-friendly evidence presentation.

The California legislature determined that not allowing lawyers in small claims court would level the playing field for individuals and businesses without the money to hire lawyers.

If you sue a company, the company is not allowed to have a lawyer represent them.

We have two types of demand letter services:

  • Our self-serve demand letter tool, where an attorney will not review your demand letter and

  • A service where one of our attorneys will write and send your demand letter for you.

Review our pricing page.

If you purchased our Small Claims Lawsuit service, an attorney will review your hearing presentation.

If you purchased our Trial Presentation Tool as a stand-alone product, an attorney will not review your hearing presentation. This is a self-help tool.

If you purchase our Small Claims Lawsuit service, the judge will decide which costs are reimbursable by the person or business you sue.

In California, we have seen that most judges require the person or business you sue to reimburse you for court filing fees and serving costs if you win.

Pricing

Demand Letter Tool

$0

Free Letter Creation

CREATE LETTER
  • Create a Formal Legal Letter using our Free Tool

  • Free Letter Download

  • Paid Shipping Option Available

  • Meet Court Requirements*

This is not an attorney service.

Need us to ship your letter for you? Starting at $29.50.

Creating each additional letter after the first costs $10.

*Some courts require you to send a demand letter before filing a small claims lawsuit.

Attorney Demand Letter

$300.00

Written and Signed by Your Attorney

Request Letter
  • Attorney Written and Signed

  • Mailed on our Law Firm Letterhead

  • We ship for you via USPS Certified or Priority Mail

  • Tracking & Delivery Notifications

  • Free Replacement Shipping if Delayed

  • Meet Court Requirements*

This is an attorney service.

*Some courts require you to send a demand letter before filing a small claims lawsuit.

Small Claims Lawsuit

$500.00

Starting at

Start My Lawsuit
  • Attorney Review & Feedback in Writing

  • Preparation of Court Forms

    • Legal Entity Search

    • Court Selection

  • Lawsuit Filing

  • Lawsuit Serving

  • Proof of Service Filing

  • Email and Text Updates Each Step of the Way

  • Hearing Preparation:

    • Judge-Friendly Evidence Packet

    • Access to 100's of Legal Education Articles

  • Optional Add-Ons

    • Virtual Hearing Requests

    • Printing and Mailing of Evidence

This is an attorney service.

All attorney communication will be in writing only.

Court filing fees and service costs are not included (see details below).