Judicial Officers must receive appropriate training in small claims court processes and procedures. This video is not intended to replace additional training you may be required to complete to qualify for assignment to the small claims bench. It will give you a good overview of your primary responsibilities to manage courtroom activities. It is your job to ensure that each person who appears before you has the chance to make his or her case, including individuals who are disabled or who have language barriers. You are responsible to stop pejorative or prejudicial comments in your court, to ensure that testimony is presented in an orderly manner (without interruptions), whether or not the people before you are skilled at presenting evidence. People who are frightened and intimidated may be unable to make their case without your assistance.

Some of the best help you can give is to listen, really listen, to what people want you to know and understand. This doesn’t mean that you allow them to ramble on. In many courts, especially those where there are lengthy calendars, most cases take about ten minutes.

Decisions you must make should be based on substantive law and substantiating evidence presented by the parties. Since you are responsible to know the current law, you must conduct all necessary research by assessing the resources available to you. This video will introduce you to some of those resources.

Ethical issues, such as conflicts of interest, can arise at any time. It is your job to quickly recognize, to resolve them, by explaining any real or potential issue to every person who could be affected by the ruling you make on a case. If you believe the issue could influence your decision, you must disqualify yourself.