How do I bring my own small claim? (2019) UK General Litigation

[@mrvolcada5355]

Thank you very much for the valuable info provided. Please can you tell me how to add documents to a response and what formats are acceptable ie PDF, jpeg etc I am trying to help a friend who is both elderly and is recovering from a severe stroke. Again many thanks

[@tomfortune7516]

Please could you do a vlog on small claims court proceedings for the private sales of vehicles. Many thanks

[@RedwoodLegal]

Hi Tom! Thank you for your suggestion- we will pass this on to Alex :) Thanks, RL Team

[@ShahlaKhanOfficial]

Hi. My claim is for £25k tuition fees against my uni. The interest is £24 that makes a total of £49k. Can I do the claim by myself or do I need mandatory legal representation? Thanks

[@RedwoodLegal]

This is a very good question. On the face of it - although with the big caveat that we would need to see the detail of the case first - it looks as if it is not too big or complex to have to use a lawyer. Remember, civil litigation is all about the paperwork, so, for instance, the most critical thing in bringing a claim is simply to have a good set of particulars. But you do not need to formally instruct a big law firm to get them done. Do not forget, you could issue a claim and then get lawyers on board if it was looking tricky. Or for simple tactical reasons. Instructing law firm in a case that has real merit can be powerful against an opponent because they will have a large legal bill to pay if they lose and it can also signal you are serious. So the key takeaway is to make sure you have a very good particulars of claim drafted. You can use a lawyer to do this or a service like courtwingman. And no, legal representation is never mandatory. The sort of cases we where would certainly advise legal representation is a contested will, for example, which is just too complex. Or a cohabitation property dispute. In these cases we tend to run them though our partner law firm from the beginning. Finally remember it is not about claim value. It could be low value but quite a simple claim. Your case could be on the fast track, even though its value indicates perhaps multi-track. The courts do not always just look at value when deciding whether to allocate a case to a higher track.

[@callum1131]

Is there a minimum amount you'd recommend claiming for? would a claim of

[@RedwoodLegal]

You will have to assess your individual circumstances and how financially viable it would be but we have previously seen claims as low as £300, RL Team

[@tomreed7953]

I have made a claim against my local council who is my landlord, they have instructed a solicitor on their behalf to defend the whole claim, how do i prepare for this? im just a normal person with no legal background, could i have some advice?

[@RedwoodLegal]

Hello Tom, of course we can assist. We understand it can all be quite daunting! Please email us on [e-mail] and we can take it from there.

[@tomreed7953]

@@RedwoodLegal cool i have sent an email if you could please get back to me

[@gordonhutchison6239]

I'm about to take steps to recover money on a sale of an item of which the sale was agreed based on jobs to be undertaken. I've got the receipt signed stating the jobs required Nothing has been done when enquiries I've made to the seller with no answers have I got a case thank you

[@RedwoodLegal]

This is a case where you would need to email us with more information, I'm afraid - you can do so on [e-mail] and it is also best to send us the key documents or upload them to our portal.

[@gordonhutchison6239]

Redwood Legal many thanks for your response

[@imayjustsay]

Question What 'track' should be used if: The actual claim is less than £10,000, but when you add the interest and legal fees it takes it over the initial amount?

[@RedwoodLegal]

Very good question. You should not include interest in the claim value and so interest cannot help you to take it over the 10k limit. There are some cases where interest is part of the substantive dispute itself - for instance a loan dispute where interest is key - the interest rate, or whether it is compounded or simple, but this is the exception and I doubt you mean this type of case. The vast majority you should leave out interest, and simple mention on the claim form N1 you are claiming interest on top of the claim value. Here is the rule from the bible: CPR Part 26.8(2)(a) Note that the issue arises at the point the court decides to allocate to a track and it disregards interest for this purpose: www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/civil/rules/part26. Legal Fees should also not be included in claim value.

[@imayjustsay]

@@RedwoodLegal Thanks Sir

[@zerokelvin-273]

Hello I am currently in the process of a small claims I'm the claimant Basics of claim had car engine replaced 11 days and 700 miles later engine blows months of debates over email then they stop responding to me Defendant defence is I ran it dry of oil Defendant failed to attend the preliminary hearing judge's comment that my case seems to stand on the facts Judge ordered the defendant return the car and we jointly get an expert witness but defendant has refused to respond to me or the court I have provided my evidence and defendant has not filed any evidence and deadline has passed The court date has been vacated due to covid would it be prudent to request a summary judgement due to defendant refusals to allow the car to be inspected by a expert witness and defendant filing no evidence for their defence

[@RedwoodLegal]

Please email us at info @ redwoodlegal.co.uk to discuss this. Unfortunately we can't give you advice based on this comment alone as there may be more to this that meets the eye. :)

[@alecbamfield9610]

How do you find out what value a particular claim would be.

[@RedwoodLegal]

Hi Alec, This video may help you with claim values: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXSuoXiAYrtmetU. What you need to do is sit down and simply calculate the money you have lost as a result of your opponent's actions. If you have suffered physically or emotionally, there are limits to how much compensation you could get in court, depending on the type of harm suffered - you may need lawyer's help with this step as this area can get confusing. I hope this helps.