Civil matters in Arizona's justice and municipal courts.
Leases and deposits, debts and contracts, property and small-business disputes, judgments and injunctions against harassment, up to the $10,000 justice court limit, with advice, drafting, negotiation and the courtroom under one roof.
Every civil matter, explained.
Arizona's justice courts hear civil cases of $10,000 or less, exclusive of interest, costs and awarded attorney fees (A.R.S. § 22-201). The civil endorsement covers any matter that is or could be in a justice or municipal court.
Contract disputes
Agreements that were broken, unpaid, or performed badly: a contractor who did not finish, a buyer who did not pay, a service that was not what was promised. Demand, complaint or answer, and the hearing.
Complaint or answer $350. Counterclaim $300. Appearance $850 or $250 per hour.
Property and small-business disputes
Damage, ownership, and money disputes between neighbors, customers, vendors and small businesses, resolved by demand where possible and in the justice court where not.
Demand letter and negotiation quoted at consultation. Complaint or answer $350.
Debt collection and defense
Collecting what you are owed through a demand, a complaint, and a judgment. Or answering a collection suit with every defense the facts support, from the statute of limitations to proof of the debt itself.
Complaint or answer $350. Default judgment package $375.
Landlord and tenant
Evictions, called special detainer actions in Arizona, on the landlord's side, and the defenses, deposit disputes, repair issues and lease questions on the tenant's side, under the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act.
Eviction complaint $400. Tenant answer $250. Appearance $850.
Judgments, garnishments and claims of exemption
Turning a judgment into payment through garnishment of wages or accounts, or protecting exempt income and property when a garnishment lands on you. Collection after a small claims judgment is included.
Default judgment package $375. Claim of exemption $200.
Injunctions against harassment
Petitions and hearings in the justice court when someone will not stop, and the defense when an injunction has been sought against you.
Petition $200. Hearing $850 or $250 per hour.
Personal injury claims within the justice court limit
Smaller injury and property-damage claims that belong in the justice court, from demand through judgment.
Quoted at consultation.
Pre-litigation demand and negotiation
A firm demand letter and a negotiated resolution, often before anyone files. Many disputes end here.
Quoted at consultation. Credited toward a package within 30 days.
Outside the civil endorsement
- Claims above the $10,000 justice court limit, which belong in Superior Court
- Small claims cases, unless both parties stipulate in writing to representation or the case moves to the civil division (A.R.S. § 22-512)
- Any matter in which a licensed attorney is not permitted to appear
When a claim belongs in Superior Court, the firm says so plainly and points you to an attorney. If you only need Superior Court documents prepared, Entitled Document Services does that at published flat fees.
A justice court civil case, step by step.
The typical sequence. Your matter has its own dates, mapped in writing at engagement.
- DemandA written demand often resolves the dispute before anyone files. The firm sends it on your behalf and negotiates the response.
- Complaint and serviceFiled in the justice court precinct with jurisdiction. The defendant is served with the summons and complaint.
- AnswerDue 20 days after service under the Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure. A counterclaim, if any, is filed with the answer.
- Default or defenseNo answer means an application for default judgment. An answer means disclosure, settlement talks, and a trial date.
- Judgment and collectionA judgment is collected through garnishment or a payment arrangement, and defended against with a claim of exemption.
An eviction, the fast track.
- NoticeThe landlord serves the notice the Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires for the ground claimed, and waits out the notice period.
- Complaint and summonsFiled in the justice court. The summons issues the same day and sets a hearing not less than three and not more than six days out (A.R.S. § 33-1377).
- HearingTenants raise their defenses here. Most cases are decided at this first appearance.
- JudgmentIf the landlord prevails, judgment for possession, late charges, costs and any rent found due, and a writ of restitution under the statute.
- AfterwardPayment arrangements, judgment defense, and deposit disputes, on either side of the case.
Flat where it can be, hourly where it must.
Every figure is on the fees page and confirmed in writing before work begins. Court fees are separate and paid to the court.
Civil complaint or answer, justice court
Counterclaim
Eviction complaint, special detainer
Tenant answer or response
Default judgment package
Claim of exemption, garnishment defense
Injunction against harassment petition
Civil subpoena
Standalone court appearance
A single hearing, prepared and argued, for clients otherwise handling the case themselves.
Full representation
Contested matters, billed in 15-minute increments against a retainer held in trust. Complex cases can mix flat fees for the defined phases with hourly billing for the rest.
Advice about your documents is included in every drafting engagement, and every document carries Sammijo Johnson's name, the title Arizona Legal Paraprofessional, and her license number. Drafting fees credit toward representation when you upgrade within 30 days.
What to bring.
- The lease, contract or invoiceThe document the dispute is about, signed if it was signed.
- Every notice, letter and textBetween you and the other side, in date order if you can.
- Photos, receipts and a timelineWhat happened, when, and what it cost.
- Anything filed or servedA complaint, a summons, a judgment, a garnishment. Arizona deadlines run fast.
- The other party's full legal nameFor the conflict check the firm runs before any advice.
- What you want the outcome to bePayment, possession, a repair, or simply an end to it.
Reserve a consultation.
Need documents prepared today?
Choose a 60-minute strategy consultation or a 30-minute advice session and pick a time on the calendar. The fee is invoiced by email, and the time is held once it is paid.
Entitled Document Services prepares Arizona court documents right now, with published flat fees and service in English and Spanish.