Legal Update - Small Claims Set to Get Bigger

Minnesota provides a judicial forum designed for the quick and inexpensive adjudication of small claims.  These user-friendly “conciliation courts” are designed specifically for litigation of claims by non-lawyers.  They are particularly useful for corporations, which by statute are barred from representing themselves in district courts of unlimited jurisdiction.  Effective August 1, 2012, the limit on conciliation court claims will increase from its present $7,500 to $10,000.  These limits are the maximum amount recoverable in conciliation court.  Whereas a claimant with a $9,000 claim today may recover at most $7,500, the same claimant after August 1^st will be able to recover his or her full $9,000. Most conciliation court claims are brought “pro se,” i.e., without assistance of legal counsel.  The Minnesota Judicial Branch website www.mncourts.gov/selfhelp/?page=1688 is an excellent resource for would-be conciliation court litigants, providing “soup to nuts” guidance on filing and litigating your claim.  Some individuals and businesses, however, may feel more comfortable hiring a lawyer either to prepare them for the hearing or appear and argue the case.