UK SMALL CLAIMS COURT
PROCEDURE ADVICE

Accident 999 is a network of personal injury solicitors that provides legal advice on Small Claims Court procedure at no cost. If we accept your case on a no win no fee basis you not have to fund or finance your case in any respect as the matter proceeds. Compensation is paid in full with no deductions and win or lose there is no charge. If you submit your details an experienced lawyer who is a member of The Law Society Panel of personal injury experts will respond and give free advice without obligation on what steps you should take. If after talking to us you decide not to take matters further you are under no obligation to do so and you will not be charged anything at all.

The County Courts are based in almost all of the major cities in the UK. These courts are only concerned with civil as opposed to criminal or other matters and usually deal with disputes involving modest sums with the more valuable cases being dealt with by the High Court. Personal injury claims with a value of more than £1,000 will usually be dealt with in the mainstream County Court and those cases with an anticipated value of less than £1,000 will usually be dealt with in the sub division that deals with minor claims. This court is substantially different from the ordinary court in that the procedure has been designed to ensure that the legal process is relatively simple, straightforward and informal. Staff and Judges do attempt to ensure that this court is friendly and in the interests of justice, does not intimidate applicants.

Some compensation help, legal advice and assistance is available from the court staff but they are limited in the assistance they are able to give. Many people who suffer from a personal injury approach the County Court with the intention of issuing proceedings using the Small Claims Court procedure which would effectively limit their compensation claim to a maximum of £1,000 however even minor injuries can exceed £1,000 in value and justify the issue of proceedings in the main County Court. It is therefore essential that qualified legal advice is sought from an experienced specialist personal injury solicitor in regards to value to preclude the possibility of capping the value at £1,000. In addition a small claim can be transferred to the main County Court at the discretion of the Judge if it involves a difficult question of law or has complicated facts or in certain other restricted circumstances. If your claim is likely to be valued at more than £1,000 then it may be dealt with in the County Court and you may need compensation help and advice from a solicitor to ensure that you receive fair recompense for your injuries.