Lexington Magistrate Court

South Carolina Small Claims Court

The Law Office of James R. Snell, Jr., LLC, located in Lexington, South Carolina, represents clients in Magistrate Court lawsuits. We are able to represent the plaintiff (the party bringing the lawsuit) as well as the defendant (the party defending the lawsuit).

There are two levels of Courts in South Carolina that hear civil lawsuits involving private parties. They are the Magistrate Court and the Court of Common Pleas. Although South Carolina does not have a true small claims court the Magistrate Court is designed to provide a faster, and less expensive way to pursue certain types of lawsuits. Magistrate Courts can be found in every South Carolina. Municipal Courts (City or Town Courts) do not have jurisdiction over civil matters. In addition to lawsuits over money, South Carolina Magistrate Courts also hear cases involving requests for restraining orders, claim and delivery suits and eviction matters.

Although Magistrate Court is designed to not always require the services of an attorney parties should be advised that they will be held to the same standard as an experienced attorney during the trial of their case. The South Carolina Rules of Evidence apply as do many of the South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure. Magistrate Court trials are conducted both bench (judge only) and by a jury. Parties should be cautioned that if they participate in a Magistrate Court lawsuit they may be barred from later litigating the same, or a related matter, in any later lawsuit regardless of the decision of the Court.