Free Small Claims seminar on Oct. 15

Say you are in the midst of a dispute with a present or former landlord, tenant, spouse, client, merchant, customer, professional, neighbor, contractor, driver – or someone else you believe harmed you or who claims you harmed them.  You and they haven’t been able to work it out.  Or maybe you haven’t tried, believing discussions would be futile.  The dispute probably will not go away on its own.  So, what are your options?

This program covers the two, principal alternatives:  mediation – settlement discussions facilitated by a professional, neutral mediator who assists disputants to find a compromise in which both sides obtain an acceptable result, and a small claims case – where a judge takes evidence and applies the law to determine the outcome, often with one side victorious and the other defeated.

Our presenters will examine the pros and cons of each approach, the steps involved to initiate a mediation or small claims case, and tips on how to obtain a favorable result.  You’ll hear from a mediator who has assisted thousands of people to settle disputes they were unable to resolve on their own, a court clerk who has overseen the filing of small claims cases for 17 years, and an attorney who, serving as a judge pro tem, has decided hundreds of small claims cases.

About the Presenters

Lee Auerbach has practiced law for 35 years.  After serving as law clerk for a federal judge in Los Angeles, Lee handled complex civil litigation at the international law firm Sidley Austin LLP.  He has volunteered as a judge pro tem for the past 13 years, initially in Los Angeles County, and since 2016, in Nevada County.  In that capacity Lee has handled many hundreds of small claims cases.  His experience as a litigator and pro tem makes Lee highly qualified to speak regarding the dos and don’ts of litigating in small claims court.  Lee is a 1990 graduate of Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.  He is a member of Order of the Coif and the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society.

Rio (Thomas Lambie) has been a free-lance builder since 1983, specializing in rammed-earth construction for 20 years.  Besides being an experienced mediator in and out of court, Rio is also a gold miner, gardener, jack-of-all-trades, and hunter/gatherer.  He has served on the Conflict Resolution Center (CRC) Board of Directors since completing his basic mediation training in early 2007 and is a former Board President, Vice-President, and Treasurer.  Rio currently joins with Debbie Garber in coordinating CRC’s court mediation program.  Like his fellow board members, he loves to mediate.  He has participated in over 1,000 mediations in his 17 years of practice.  Rio is also a former Board Member of Nevada County’s Peace and Justice Center.

Melissa Morgan has been a clerk with Nevada County Superior Court for 17 years. She has enjoyed time in several divisions including traffic, criminal misdemeanor and felony, family, child support, dependency, civil and small claims.  In November of 2023, Melissa was promoted to Court Clerk 3 and is embracing her current role as a trainer and support person for our clerks at the Superior Court. Her specialties are civil and small claims court.

Register through the Nevada County Library’s website at https://nevadacountyca.libcal.com/event/13266464.  Spaces are limited.  The Zoom link and materials will be sent by the Law Library prior to the seminar.