The Playbook: your game plan for small claims court

The Playbook includes a filled-in sample of your state's claim form, checklists, a timeline and a hearing outline. $149 for your first year (introductory offer), then $199 a year. Join now.

Thinking about calling a lawyer about your thousand-dollar dispute?

We get it. Someone owes you a few thousand dollars, or even just one thousand, and it's eating at you. You've replayed it a hundred times. Now you're wondering if you need to pay a lawyer just to get your money back.

In a National Center for State Courts study of 10 urban counties, plaintiffs had a lawyer in 76% of small claims cases.¹ You don't need to pay for one to be ready. The Playbook walks you through the plays.

It's your game plan for small claims court. The Playbook coaches you as you organize your proof, put it in order, and practice your story, so you walk in calm and ready to present your own case.

Find my state's free guide · See the Playbook price

Your game plan in 5 steps

Start with your free state guide. See which court hears small claims, the dollar limit, where to file, and the official form. Find your state.
Get the Playbook. Step-by-step prep guides that work in any state, plus a filled-in sample of your state's claim form and your state's Playbook section.
Gather your proof. Contracts, texts, receipts, photos, and your written demand. The Playbook's checklists show you what to gather; you collect it.
Build your timeline. Put what happened in date order, with each exhibit in its place.
Practice. Run through your story out loud until it feels natural. You present your own case; the Playbook's guides get you ready.

You do the work. The Playbook hands you the plays.

Navy coach-style price card with a whistle and play clipboard: $149 for your first year (introductory offer), then $199 a year, billed yearly only. — **$149** for your first year (introductory offer), then $199 a year.

Renews at $199 a year.

For a full year, the Playbook acts as your guide as you organize and present your own case.

Join now. Yearly only, no monthly plan. Payments aren't refunded; see the FAQ.

What membership opens up

One membership, every state. Members get the full Playbook for every state, plus the deeper, members-only sections of our blog posts. State pages are reviewed and updated regularly. Moving, or is the other side in another state? You're covered.

What you get

Step-by-step prep guides that work in any state:
- Checklists: what to gather and how to stack it
- How to label your exhibits, with a sample
- How to build a one-page timeline
- How to outline your hearing and practice your talking points
A filled-in sample of your state's claim form, using a made-up case, with a box-by-box guide. Every state and DC has one. For Mississippi, Oklahoma and Wyoming it's a sample layout we made, so get the real form from your court clerk.
Your state's Playbook section, for every state and DC
The deeper, members-only sections of our blog posts
Case-type guides: debt, car accident, security deposit, used car, unpaid wages, unfinished contractor, car repair and dog bite. Each has a guide for the person suing and one for the person being sued.

What you don't get

Legal advice about your case
Anyone filing or serving papers for you
A lawyer, or anyone who appears in court for you
Word-for-word scripts
Any promise about how your case turns out

A filled-in sample claim form for every state and DC

Each one uses a made-up case and walks through the form box by box, so you can see where your own facts go before you fill in the real thing. A few examples: California's SC-100, Florida's Statement of Claim (Form 7.332), Pennsylvania's Civil Complaint (AOPC 308A), the NYC Civil Court Statement of Claim (CIV-SC-50), and a model Texas Small Claims Petition (from the Texas Justice Court Training Center, not an official court form).

For Mississippi, Oklahoma and Wyoming it's a sample layout we made, not the court's form, so get the real form from your court clerk.

See the Playbook price

See a sample before you decide

Every sample uses made-up people and made-up facts. They show the layout, not advice for your case.

Charcoal and navy coach-style sample of exhibit labels: Exhibit 1 signed estimate from Typical Roofing Co. to Jordan Sample; Exhibit 2 highlighted bank statement page; Exhibit 3 dated photos of the unfinished roof — Sample: exhibit labels (excerpt)

In short: Exhibit 1 is the signed estimate from Typical Roofing Co. to Jordan Sample (the agreed job and price). Exhibit 2 is a highlighted bank statement page (Jordan Sample paid the deposit). Exhibit 3 is dated photos of the unfinished roof (the work wasn't done).

Navy coach-style comparison chart of three ways to handle a small claim: your court's free self-help site, the Playbook (highlighted in orange: step-by-step prep guides that work in any state, plus your state's forms and court info), and hiring a lawyer — Three ways to handle a small claim

In short: your court's free self-help site is a good place to begin your research, with links to state-specific rules and forms. The Playbook is where you find coaching and strategies for organizing your proof and your story, with prep guides that work in any state plus your state's forms and court info. It gives no advice about your case, and you do the filing and presenting yourself. A lawyer's cost depends on the lawyer, and a lawyer can advise you about your own case. Rules on lawyers in small claims vary by state.

Questions

Are you a law firm? No. Small Claims Coach isn't a law firm and doesn't give legal advice. We use public information to build the Playbook. Find coaching and strategies in the Playbook as you organize and present your own case.

Will you file my case for me? No. You file with the court yourself, using the court's official forms. The Playbook's guides walk you through getting ready.

Can you tell me if I'll win? No. Nobody can promise an outcome, and we don't publish win rates.

Should I send you the details of my case? Please don't. We don't want the details of your case.

Can I get a refund? Your membership gives you all Playbook guides published while your membership is active, so payments aren't refunded. You can turn off the yearly renewal anytime.

How much is it? $199 a year, billed yearly, with no monthly plan. With the introductory offer, your first year is $149, then it renews at $199 a year.

Do I get every state? Yes. One membership opens the Playbook for every state.

Do I get a personal coach? No. The Playbook is your coach: step-by-step guides you work through on your own. We don't review your case or give legal advice.

Can I sign up now? Yes. Join now.

Pick your state

Start with your state's free guide.

What a year of the Playbook gives you

We don't take your case. The Playbook acts as your guide while you organize and present it yourself, from gathering your proof to hearing day.

Join now.

This website and our Playbook are designed to give you the tools and confidence to handle your small claims case yourself, without a lawyer. If you think something is missing, we would like to hear about it so we can keep improving our Playbook. But if your situation is complicated, does not fit the samples we cover, or a filing deadline is close, you may want to call a lawyer.

¹ NCSC, The Landscape of Civil Litigation in State Courts (2015), p. 33, cases from 2012-13: https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3429&context=facpubs.

Small Claims Coach uses public information to build the Playbook, which coaches you as you organize and present your own case. We are not your lawyer, there is no attorney-client relationship, and we don't want the details of your case.

Not a law firm. Verify with the court.

This information is for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice.