Small Claims Clinics

NOTICE OF LEGAL ASSISTANCE REGARDING COLLECTION CASES

You have been served with Small Claims legal papers. There is a date on the summons for your Pretrial Conference. If you believe you have defenses to the lawsuit, you must attend this court date. If you do notattend the hearing date listed on the summons, a default judgment will likely be entered against you. A telephone call will not protect you.
 
You have several options available to you to learn more about the small claims process and your rights. You may arrive for your court date at 12:30 p.m. to watch a small claims video presented by a volunteer attorney before the court proceedings begin at 1:30 p.m.. An attorney will be available to review your paperwork and answer general questions after the video has been shown. You must be in the pre-trial hearing courtroom by 1:20 to ensure there is no delay, so you must arrive early if you would like to speak with a volunteer attorney. If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation please contact the ADA Coordinator, whose information in listed on the summons.
 
If your case involves the collection of a debt, you may also attend a free legal workshop for people being sued for debt collection which is held at Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA), 126 West Adams Street, Jacksonville, Florida. This workshop is held the third Wednesday of every month beginning at 5:00 p.m. You will learn about defenses you might
have in your case and an attorney will be available to review your paperwork if you bring it with you.

For information on this clinic please call JALA at 904 -356-8371 (Voice only). Deaf and Hard of Hearing callers please call 904-353-1320 V/TTY). If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to attend the JALA workshop please call 904-353-1320 with at least 5 days business notice to request accommodations.
 
You may hire an attorney to represent you. To find an attorney, you can visit the Florida Bar website at www.flabar.org or contact the Lawyer Referral Service which is run by the Jacksonville Bar Association at (904) 399-5780. If you cannot afford to hire an attorney, you may want to apply for services at JALA.
For more information, you can call JALA at 356-8371 (Deaf and Hard of Hearing callers please call 904-353-1320 V/TTY).

You need to act RIGHT AWAY if  you want legal help with your case.
If you delay you may lose your right to defend your case.