You can sue without a lawyer and represent yourself.
Although in some types of lawsuits it's always best to hire a lawyer for the best outcome.
Navigating the legal system without professional guidance and a qualified lawyer can be challenging and impact your lawsuits outcome.
Most courts do provide readily available forms for filing a lawsuit and allows you to initiate a case without any legal representation.
However when representing yourself during a lawsuit you need to understand the legal terminology, deadlines and the proper court procedures to effectively navigate the lawsuit.
Also misinterpreting laws or even procedural errors can jeopardize the case.
In a lawsuit the person filing the lawsuit pays the court costs although if you win the case against the defendant you can sometimes recover the cost of the lawsuit from the defendant.
In small claims court the person filling the lawsuit also known as the plaintiff is who pays court costs in small claims court.
This includes the filing fees, service fees and other associated costs.
However if the plaintiff wins the case they can sometimes recover the costs from the defendant as part of the judgement.
You can claim legal costs in a small claims court.
As the prevailing party in a small claims court case you can request reimbursement for any reasonable legal costs.
These legal fees that you can claim in small claims court include costs of serving the complaint and filing fees.
Although the request for reimbursement for the legal fees in small claims court has to be made in the complaint.
Small claims court is an informal and also inexpensive way to settle minor disputes.
The prevailing party in small claims court can request reimbursement for any reasonable legal fees and costs.
As the prevailing party you can also request reimbursement for any costs that are associated with collecting the judgement.
And in small claims court the losing party only pays for attorney fees if the winning party in small claims court is specifically given the right to recover the legal fees in a contract or through state or federal law.
Things you should bring to small claims court include any exhibits, which could be any papers, legal documents, photographs, or other physical evidence supporting a claim.
Witness testimony as evidence.
Witnesses in small claims court must have first-hand knowledge of the events, or the exhibit, to which they testify.
Keep in mind that you, the Plaintiff or Defendant, may be a witness.