Monetary Limits of Small Claims Act Now Highest in Country

Minister of Justice Felix Collins has introduced a bill aimed at bringing the jurisdiction of the Small Claims Court from $5,000, the lowest in the country, to $25,000, the highest in the country.  This is a good thing.  The Small Claims Court is designed to be user friendly and to permit claims to proceed without the expense of hiring a lawyer.

A person injured in an accident who wants to make a claim for compensation should ask, do I even need a lawyer?  In our experience, in a $25,000, $20,000, or even $12,000 claim, it is.  The reason is that if a claim is an insurance claim, the adjuster or defence lawyer will typically make a low-ball offer, well below what the claim should be worth if it were properly negotiated.  Remember, the adjuster for the at-fault party is not your friend, and is not working for you - they are working for the insurance company.

We have found that clients are better off to have hired us to negotiate their settlement, even after paying fees, than they would have been if they had not hired us.  So a good personal injury lawyer can definitely add value.

But if you have a claim with a value up to $25,000 and you want to "do it yourself", you can now do it yourself.  It is good to have a choice.