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Resources you can use for basic legal problems
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LAW RUNNER LEGAL RESEARCH TOOL
Let's face it, lawyers are expensive.
by Bill Baker, J.D.
With lawyers charging $100, $200, $300 or even as much as $500 per hour it's clear that their services should be used sparingly. These legal self-help pages are not meant as a substitute for the services of a lawyer when such services are required. However, there are a lot of things non-lawyers can do to help themselves when it comes to legal matters.
In at least one way, law is like medicine for as the old saying goes, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". There is no substitute for understanding the legal ramifications of your actions when it comes to signing contracts or otherwise engaging in activities that have a high degree of personal responsibility attached to them. Whether you are investing in a partnership, signing a brokerage account agreement, or planning your estate, you must understand what your legal rights so you can protect your financial interests.
When you are considering a transaction that involves the expenditure or commitment or your financial resources do some homework so that you understand the basic legal issues involved with whatever you are doing. By investing some time and/or money in going to your local library or bookstore or "surfing the net" to obtain the legal information you need, you can save yourself the grief, money, and time that may be needed to unravel a transaction that was entered into without taking basic legal precautions.
SMALL CLAIMS COURT; NO LAWYERS ALLOWED!
Small claims courts provide are a valuable resource in the area of self-help law. California has an excellent Small Claims Court system. Small Claims Courts in California are the ultimate legal tool for consumers due to the fact that an attorney may not represent either party in court.
Higher monetary limits now allow consumers to deal with a wider range of legal problems in Small Claims Court.
For instance, in San Mateo County, California you can file as many claims as you wish for up to $2,500 in the Small Claims Court. In addition, you can also file two (2) claims for up to $5,000 each calendar year. If you are suing a guarantor (one who promises to be responsible for the debt or default of another), you may sue for a maximum of $2,500. The filing fee is $15 unless you have filed more than 12 claims in one court within the past 12 months. Then it is $30. You may not split your claim to make it meet the limit, but you can reduce it if you wish.
NOTE: The San Mateo County Small Claims Court has a very good WWW site discussing small claims procedures at:
http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/smclaims.dir/.
However, for some unknown reason, during the first week of December, 1996 this link started showing a "Fatal Error" message when our visitors tried to access it. As of 12/12/96 it appears that this useful legal link is operating again.
Two WWW sites that discuss the Small Claims Court process in Georgia are the Magistrate Court of Cobb County, Georgia and the The Magistrate Court of Carroll County, Georgia sites.
If you want to learn more about the Small Claims Court rules in your state you can contact your local court or purchase the Nolo Press book titled, EVERYBODY'S GUIDE TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT (National Edition). If you are a California resident you can purchase the California edition of EVERYBODY'S GUIDE TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT from Nolo Press.
START HERE
The links presented on the right side of this page are good starting points for learning about government agencies that can assist you with your investment or financial services related questions or problems. Use these links as well as internet search engines, such as: Yahoo!, Lycos, or Excite. Thanks for visiting WEBtown's Government Agencies web page. If you have any comments or suggestions about this web page please send them to us.
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WM. BAKER ASSOCIATES
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