There is now (hurrah!) a print and eBook: “Using Small Claims Court in Oregon,” by Janay Haas.
But there is still a lot of work to do if you are a party to a case filed in Oregon Small Claims Court – and want a verdict in your favor (that is, if you want to win) – and if you want to collect on the judgment:
If you are a plaintiff, a defendant, or otherwise need to appear in Oregon Small Claims Court ….
If Access to Justice (A2J) is to be something other than a catch-phrase or a pipe dream, lawyers, judges, court administrators, and law librarians need to think, plan, and act creatively on micro and macro initiatives.
Many ideas are already on drawing boards, in app programmer hands, and in pilot project status. Court Simplification is another A2J Big Idea and here are some places to read about it:
1) You can Google the phrase “court simplification” for information.
Tracy White, Oregon Attorney, and Washington County Law Library patron, writes a monthly legal affairs column for the (OregonLive) Hillsboro Argus:
April 9, 2013, OregonLive column in the Argus: “Why the Oregon Constitution matters (guest column)”
Selling a car, motorcycle, or other titled motor vehicle in Oregon?
Start with the Selling, Donating or Gifting a Vehicle page at the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) if you sell, donate, or have inherited a vehicle. It can save you a lot of time and aggravation.
They even have a Vehicle Bill of Sale you can fill in online, save, or print out.
Visit the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) Justice Case Files website to read this hilarious coloring-book story:
Justice Case File 4: The Case of the Broken Controller is a (PDF) narrative coloring book available to download for free. (Note: the PDF at the NCSC site is almost 8 MB. It can be optimized to under 4 MB if you have Adobe.)
“The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) launched a public awareness campaign several years ago to educate the public about how the courts work. The central effort of this campaign was to develop a series of graphic novels, called Justice Case Files, which engage the reader while giving insight into how judges make decisions, how the courts protect the public, and why courts are so important to a democratic society….”
Law in the News alerts us to this article at Plagiarism Today:
“Update on the Potential Copyright Small Claims Court,” February 28, 2013, by Jonathan Bailey
The author has done an excellent job summarizing the problem and proposed solutions and linking to other sources of information.
Before paying for legal forms online (or from a book), check to make sure they are forms the court will accept and to find out if your county or state already makes the correct forms available free of charge.
It’s not unusual to find “cheap,” “low-cost,” and “free, if …” legal forms online that judges and public law librarians know are available totally free AND are up-to-date, AND are official (that is, they will be accepted by the court where they need to be filed).
It’s also not unusual to hear about legal papers drawn up and filing fees paid, only to have the case dismissed or delayed because the wrong forms were filed or local court instructions weren’t followed.
From Richard Zorza’s Access to Justice blog:
California Bar Explores Joining Movement for Non-Lawyer Practice
California, Washington, and New York are featured in this article on the movement to allow people who cannot afford attorneys “to receive low-cost guidance in simpler legal matters by qualified non-lawyers.”
One day you will need or thank the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), just as we need or thank the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
If you want to know more about the CFPB, one of the blogs listed at the 6th Annual ABA Blawg 100 site is the CFPB Monitor. It tracks the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
You can also visit the official CFPB website and read CFPB’s official blog.
Thinking about legal self help, access to justice, unbundled legal services?
Richard Zorza’s Access to Justice Blog has all kinds of intriguing posts and links, e.g.
1) “Lawyer Referral Services Are the Key Gateway to Unbundled Services and California Leads the Way,” 10/16/12.
Oregon Legal Research Blog