SMALL CLAIMS 101: HOW TO SUE SOMEONE

One question that I am asked with some frequency is, “I want to sue someone for $[amount under 20,000], can you help me?” And, to be honest, I usually can’t help – at least not directly. I don’t handle a whole lot of dispute work – it’s just not my thing. And very few attorneys, either in San Antonio or in other cities, will be able to do a whole lot for your (let’s say, for example) $3,000 of damages billing at $300 per hour. The legal bill will be larger than the entire amount due in 10 hours (or less, depending on the billing rate!) But, there is some good news. Texas has a streamlined procedure for suing someone for an amount under $20,000. You can do it yourself, without an attorney. The only qualification is that the amount absolutely cannot be more than $20,000. This simplified process is called Small Claims Court, and it is run through the Justice of the Peace system in Texas. I made this YouTube video that I have been told is helpful, for explaining to people how they can sue someone without an attorney. If your exploration of my website has brought you to this blog post, I hope that you will watch the video and learn something. Of course, if you have any questions about how to sue someone in small claims court, I may not be able to help, since this is not really my practice area. But feel free to reach out, and if I don’t know the answer, I’ll try to refer you to someone who does. Enjoy!