The small claims procedure is now seen as a convenient way to tackle the current crisis in civil justice, and with a massive increase in the small claims limit from 1,000 to 3,000, small claims is big judicial business. This book is based on the most extensive research on small claims procedures ever conducted in the United Kingdom. The author had privileged access to the district judges who conduct claim hearings, and the book is the first to include lengthy extracts from tape recorded interviews conducted with them. It also includes discussion of interviews with litigants, including many who struggled to gain payment of court judgements.

• One: Introduction and Background: The Development of Small Claims in England and Wales


• Two: Background to the Study: The County Court Files


• Three: The District Judge's Role at Small Claims Hearings


• Four: Litigants' Perceptions of Small Claims


• Five: The Enforcement of Small Claims Judgments


• Six: Conclusion


• Bibliography


• Index

John Baldwin is Professor of Law and Director of the Institute of Judicial Administration at the University of Birmingham. Prior to this he taught at the universities of Sheffield, Newcastle and Birmingham where he has been a lecturer, reader and now Professor.