Conciliation Court/Small Claims Court

Conciliation Court is often called "Small Claims Court." Conciliation Court was created to allow parties to bring their legal claims before the court without expensive costs, attorneys fees, or complicated legal procedures. In small claims court, parties may represent themselves, but an attorney may also be allowed by the judge or referee to participate on behalf of a client. The filing fee is low, there is no jury, the procedure is fairly informal, each side has a short time to present his/her case and the right to appeal only permits a trial de novo (a new trial) at the next court level. Conciliation cases may be heard by referees or judges. Small claims court is a quick, inexpensive way to settle lesser legal disputes, although the disagreements are often important to the participants.