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Dispute Resolution Services of San Joaquin County Bar Association provides mediation and small claims advisory services.
Mediation services are provided at the courthouse and covers: small claims, unlawful detainer (eviction) and civil harassment. For cases already filed, the court has mediators available to assist with a possible settlement agreement before presenting the case to the judge. In-court mediation is voluntary and free to the parties involved.
For Community Mediation (out-of-court mediation), you can call the Mediation Line at (209) 474-8794 or email at mediation@sjcbar.org, if you have not already filed a case. This process includes inviting the other party to a mediation session in their office located at 6 South El Dorado Street, Suite 315 (the In-Shape building) in downtown Stockton. If the other party agrees to mediate out-of-court, a mediation session of up to three hours can be scheduled in the office, and the first hour of mediation will be free. A minimal $20 per hour fee is due from each side if the mediation exceeds one hour. Mediation is a voluntary, cooperative process, where a neutral third party (the mediator) assists in communicating and collaborating to resolve the dispute on their own terms instead of having a judge decide the case for them. Please call for more information.
Small Claims Advisory services provide assistance with basic questions about the small claims process in San Joaquin County. This is service is available to parties being sued or those who are suing. To access free small claims advising services, call (209) 473-6463, email at smallclaims@sjcbar.org, or attend one of the free in-person clinic. These clinics are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 5:00 p.m. (for advice on collecting on a small claims judgment) or at 7:00 p.m. (on how to start a small claims case). The clinics are held at Humphreys University, Laurence Drivon School of Law, 6650 Inglewood Avenue, Stockton, 95207. Please call the small claims advisory line at (209) 473-6463 to make a reservation.
