WRONG!

The Government has two Money Claims systems running currently for Small Claims - the traditional "Money Claims Online" version, and the Online Dispute Resolution "Beta" version.

The latter is, at the time of writing this page, still at the "Beta" (testing) stage, and from what I hear seems to be quite successful. This is of real benefit to claimants and defendants alike because it means that you can run your case as you run your calendar, your bank account, and even (with many people and small businesses), your jobs - all online.

BUT THE SAME LAW APPLIES TO THE ONLINE SYSTEM, AND YOUR CASE IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE INFORMATION YOU INPUT.

Whether you use the traditional system, or the new Online Dispute system, if you don't have legal training, it will be difficult to anticipate all of the information necessary to win your case. In other words....

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW.

If you haven't included all necessary information, by the time you get to your final hearing, it will be too late to do anything about it. I have personally walked through the application stage of the new online dispute claims system, and while it prompts you to enter the information necessary to start your claim, it doesn't give legal advice, and indeed that was never its intention.

Just as with the original Money Claim Online system therefore, UNLESS YOU UNDERSTAND THE LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE, whether online or on paper, you can still get into difficulties.

Small Claims Assistance Legal Guides

.....provide you with the information you need to understand:

• What information to provide, and what not to provide when starting your claim;
• The legal basis of the parties involved in the claim;
• What information and documentation you will need to provide in order to maximise the prospects of success in your case.

My guides draw on my lifetime of experience in litigation, from my early days as a trainee lawyer, to my previous role as partner in a large firm of solicitors, before I started my own business.

Find out more HERE.