Use of Mediation and Small Claims Court
Common Disputes Heard in Small Claims Court
Court Forms, Sample Letters, and Useful Checklists
Helpful Links and Additional Resources
  CLINIC LOCATION
  Empire College School of Law
  First upstairs conference
  room on the left
  3035 Cleveland Avenue
  Santa Rosa, CA 95403
  CLINIC HOURS AND
  TELEPHONE NUMBER
  Walk-in Hours:
  Monday and Wednesday
  from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m.

  Assistance by phone:
  707-565-6457
  Tuesday and Thursday
  from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m.

  Bilingual assistance for
  Spanish speakers
  Walk-in:      Mondays from
                     3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
  Telephone: Thursday from
                     5:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Sonoma County Small Claims Advisory Clinic

Directed by Empire Law School

About the Clinic

Small Claims Court was created so people can represent themselves without the assistance from attorneys to resolve legal disputes in court with minimum expense, inconvenience, and delay.

The Sonoma County Small Claims Advisory Clinic provides free procedural and legal information to Small Claims litigants regarding their rights and responsibilities under California Law.

In December 2005, Empire College took on the advisory role for the Sonoma County Small Claims Court. The free service, mandated by the county for users of the court, is provided by Empire Law Students overseen by the Dean of Empire Law School, Patrick Broderick, Professor and Practicing Attorney, Greg Schrader, and Assistant Professor and Practicing Attorney, Kadin Blonski.

The students staffing the clinic are third and fourth year law students of Empire Law School and local attorneys. The advisory staff is available to help with all stages of Small Claims cases - pre-trial, during trial, and post-trial. We provide help and advice to any claimant to the court, whether a resident of Sonoma County or elsewhere.

We help claimants with a variety of issues and disputes. Most common are landlord-tenant disputes, unfulfilled contracts, complaints about contractors and disputes among neighbors. About 50 percent of the people our advisers speak with have already filed claims or received a summons. The rest are trying to determine whether they have a case. Additionally, once you have a small claims judgment we are available to help with its collection.

* While we provide legal information and advice regarding small claims forms, we do not fill out the forms for clients. Additionally, we are prohibited by law and contract from advising on matters outside the realm of small claims court. Where such advice is sought we will provide referrals to another appropriate entity when necessary. Small Claims advisors cannot act as your attorney and are not meant to replace the advice of an attorney. If you would like the advice of an attorney, contact the Sonoma County Bar Lawyer Referral Service at (707) 546-5297.

The Sonoma County Small Claims Advisory Clinic would like to thank the Judicial Council of California, the California Department of Consumer Affairs, the Sacramento Small Claims Advisory Clinic, and all others who allowed us to use content from their website in the production of this site.