Recorded on: March 10, 2026
Length: 60 minutes
Summary
Lawyer and legal coach Matt Canzer answers common questions about navigating small claims in BC and shares best practices so you know what to expect and how to prepare.
Highlights
In this webinar, you will learn:
Overview of small claims court
The dollar limit and types of claims you can bring to small claims court. [7:30]
Steps in the small claims process and how long the process takes. [9:30]
The cost of taking your claim to small claims court when you hire a lawyer or a legal coach, or do it yourself. [12:30]
Before I file a notice of claim or reply
How to organize your case before you file your claim or when you get sued in small claims. [15:35]
How to figure out how much a case is worth. [18:00]
The deadline to sue or to reply. [20:45]
Whether to try to settle your dispute before filing a claim and, if so, whether to put your settlement in writing. [23:25]
Filing a notice of claim or reply
How to fill out a notice of claim. [30:40]
How to fill out a reply. [35:00]
When to make a counterclaim or third party claim. [37:35]
Preparing for and attending a settlement conference
What to expect at a settlement conference. [39:40]
How to prepare for a settlement conference. [41:35]
Preparing for trial
How to prepare for a trial conference and trial, including how to prepare a trial statement. [44:15]
After trial
Whether you can appeal if you lose your case in small claims court. [51:35]
What to do if you go to trial and win and want to collect the judgment. [52:50]
Live questions
Whether the settlement conference and trial will be held in person or online. [52:25]
Whether you can subpoena documents from the other side. [55:55]
Whether you can bring a strata dispute to small claims court. [57:00]
Whether you can get punitive damages. [58:20]
Featuring
Matt Canzer
Matt Canzer is a certified legal coach and practicing lawyer with over 15 years of litigation experience. He has spent much of his career in the courtroom, handling a wide range of civil disputes and serving as a criminal prosecutor. He is the founder of Butterfly Legal, where he focuses on helping self-represented litigants navigate small claims court with clarity and confidence. His goal is to make the legal system more understandable, less intimidating, and truly accessible to everyone — even those without any legal training. Matt is a director of the Legal Coaches Association, a supervising lawyer with the Everyone Legal Clinic, and a member of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC, the Boutique Counsel Network, and the Canadian Bar Association.
Attendee feedback
"Great Topic; Presenters are SO well chosen too!"
"Thank you for this webinar! The thought of going to small claims court is overwhelming. The webinar presented the process in a very understandable way."
"The best information session I have attended - too bad it was too short! lol"
“The lawyer had a very easy to follow and simple approach which helped”
“I recently stumbled upon your website & have attended a few webinars now. What a fabulous resource you are & I only wish I had found you years ago!”
“Nothing but positives for this webinar! I don’t have a personal case in mind, and perhaps because my thoughts are about hypotheticals, I did find the process steps as described somewhat daunting.”
Additional resources
On navigating and preparing for Small Claims Court:
Small Claims Court guide, from Butterfly Legal
Downloadable casebook and demand letter templates, from Butterfly Legal
Small Claims Court course, from Butterfly Legal
On researching case law:
From People's Law School:
Laws referenced: