20 ChatGPT Prompts to Prepare for Small Claims Court With Confidence
Representing yourself in small claims can feel overwhelming. Paste your situation into the brackets and these prompts help you decide whether to file, organize your evidence, build a timeline, and plan what to say. This is general preparation help, not legal advice for your case.
In short: This page contains 20 copy-paste ready prompts, organized into 5 categories with a description and pro tip for each. The first 5 prompts are free instantly, no signup needed. Hand-curated and tested by the AI Academy team.
Decide Whether to File
4 promptsWeigh It Up
1/20✨ What it does
This prompt asks questions to help you weigh a small claims case against [person or company] over [describe the dispute] for about [amount in dispute], including strength, time, and cost. Answer the questions honestly, then decide whether filing is worth it.
Act as a neutral sounding board. I am considering filing a small claims case against [person or company] over [describe the dispute] for about [amount in dispute]. Ask me questions to help me think through the strength of my case, the time and cost involved, and whether it is worth pursuing.
Pro tip: Answer the questions honestly, including the weak points of your own case.
What You Are Really Claiming
2/20✨ What it does
This prompt lists specific losses you could claim from [describe what happened], such as money paid, repair costs, or unreturned deposits, and notes what is probably not claimable. Keep the claimable items, then drop the frustration that a judge will ignore.
Help me separate what I am owed from how I feel. Based on my situation, [describe what happened], list the specific losses I could realistically claim, such as money paid, repair costs, or unreturned deposits, and note anything that is probably not claimable.
Pro tip: Courts award provable losses, not stress, so focus on the numbers you can document.
Try to Settle First
3/20✨ What it does
This prompt writes a short, calm last-chance settlement message to [person or company] over [describe the dispute] for [amount you would accept], with a reply date of [the deadline]. Get it out before you file, then wait until that date before you go to court.
Before I file, help me write a short, calm message to [person or company] offering one last chance to settle this over [describe the dispute] for [amount you would accept]. Keep it professional and set a reply date of [the deadline].
Pro tip: Many judges like to see that you tried to resolve it first, so keep a copy.
Know the Basics to Check
4/20✨ What it does
This prompt gives a checklist for [your city or state] covering filing limits, fees, deadlines, and where to file, and reminds you to verify each on the official site. Open the court site yourself, then ignore any detail you did not confirm there.
I plan to file a small claims case in [your city or state]. Give me a checklist of practical things I should confirm on my local court website before filing, such as filing limits, fees, deadlines, and where to file. Remind me to verify each on the official site.
Pro tip: Rules vary by location, so always confirm specifics on your court's official website.
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Organize Your Evidence
4 promptsEvidence Checklist
5/20✨ What it does
This prompt lists documents that support [describe what happened and what records I have], such as contracts, invoices, photos, receipts, and messages, from strongest to weakest. Gather the top items first, then print copies for your hearing.
Based on my dispute, [describe what happened and what records I have], list the documents and evidence that would best support my claim, such as contracts, invoices, photos, receipts, and messages. Order them from strongest to weakest.
Pro tip: If a document is missing, note it now so you have time to track it down.
Turn Messages Into Proof
6/20✨ What it does
This prompt summarizes [paste or describe the messages] with [person or company] into a short, dated, factual list you can reference in court. Check each date, then bring the list and the original thread.
I have a long back-and-forth with [person or company]. Help me summarize the key points from these messages into a short, dated list I can reference in court: [paste or describe the messages]. Keep it factual and neutral.
Pro tip: Bring the full originals too, since a summary supports them but does not replace them.
Label Your Exhibits
7/20✨ What it does
This prompt turns [list your documents and photos] into an exhibit list with a clear label and one-line description for each. Print the list, then tab the matching copies so a judge can follow.
Help me organize my evidence into a simple exhibit list. Here is what I have: [list your documents and photos]. Suggest a clear label and one-line description for each item so a judge can follow along.
Pro tip: Number your exhibits and bring a copy for yourself, the judge, and the other side.
Spot the Gaps
8/20✨ What it does
This prompt plays devil's advocate on [describe your dispute and evidence] and lists questions the judge or other side might ask that you cannot yet answer, plus evidence that would fill those gaps. Collect the missing proof, then drop claims you still cannot back.
Play devil's advocate. Based on my case, [describe your dispute and evidence], what questions might the judge or the other side ask that I cannot yet answer, and what evidence would fill those gaps?
Pro tip: Finding the holes now beats being surprised by them at the hearing.
Build Your Timeline
4 promptsOrder of Events
9/20✨ What it does
This prompt turns [list what happened and roughly when] into a clean chronological timeline with clear dates, one event per line, and no opinions. Fill any fuzzy dates, then bring the timeline to your hearing.
Turn my notes into a clean, chronological timeline for court: [list what happened and roughly when]. Use clear dates, one event per line, in neutral language with no opinions.
Pro tip: A judge follows a timeline far more easily than a wall of paragraphs.
The One-Paragraph Summary
10/20✨ What it does
This prompt writes a three-to-four-sentence opening you can say aloud: you are [your name], claiming [amount] from [person or company] because [the core reason]. Rehearse it until it fits under a minute, then start the hearing with that version.
Write a short summary of my case in three to four sentences that I could say out loud at the start of a hearing: I am [your name], I am claiming [amount] from [person or company] because [the core reason].
Pro tip: Practice saying it until you can deliver it without reading.
Fill in Missing Dates
11/20✨ What it does
This prompt marks where [paste it] is vague or missing dates and lists questions that would make each event precise. Answer those questions from your records, then update the timeline before court.
Here is my rough timeline: [paste it]. Point out where dates or details are vague or missing, and list the questions I should answer to make each event precise.
Pro tip: Approximate dates are fine if you say so, but exact ones are stronger.
Match Evidence to Events
12/20✨ What it does
This prompt maps [list your documents] onto each event in [paste your timeline] and flags any event with no supporting proof. Attach a document to every event you will argue, then cut events you cannot prove.
For each event on my timeline, [paste your timeline], suggest which piece of my evidence, [list your documents], best backs it up. Flag any event that has no supporting proof.
Pro tip: An event with no backing document is the first one to shore up.
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Calculate What to Claim
4 promptsAdd Up Your Losses
13/20✨ What it does
This prompt adds [list each amount and what it is for] into a clear itemized total and flags anything that might be hard to prove. Use only the lines you can document, then write that total on your claim.
Help me total what I am claiming. Here are my costs: [list each amount and what it is for]. Add them into a clear itemized total and flag anything that might be hard to prove.
Pro tip: Keep a receipt or record behind every number on the list.
Separate the Extras
14/20✨ What it does
This prompt splits [paste your list] into direct out-of-pocket losses versus softer items like inconvenience or your own time, and explains why direct losses are usually strongest. Claim the direct losses, then leave the soft items off unless the court allows them.
From this list of what I want to claim, [paste your list], help me separate direct out-of-pocket losses from softer items like inconvenience or my own time, and explain in plain terms why the direct losses are usually the strongest.
Pro tip: Anchor your claim on hard costs, then mention extras separately.
Sanity-Check the Number
15/20✨ What it does
This prompt checks whether [amount] adds up from [list them] and where it might look inflated to a judge, then suggests a defensible figure. Lower the claim if the math does not hold, then file the number you can explain.
I am thinking of claiming [amount]. Based on my documented losses of [list them], does that total add up, and where might it look inflated to a judge? Suggest a defensible figure.
Pro tip: A number you can fully justify beats a bigger one you cannot.
Explain the Math Simply
16/20✨ What it does
This prompt writes a plain-English explanation of how you got [total amount] from [list the components], as if you had under a minute with a judge. Practice it out loud, then use that walkthrough at the hearing.
Write a short, plain-English explanation of how I calculated my claim of [total amount] from [list the components], as if I were explaining it to a judge in under a minute.
Pro tip: If you can explain the math in one breath, it will land.
Rehearse for the Hearing
4 promptsPractice Questions
17/20✨ What it does
This prompt acts as a small claims judge and asks ten likely questions about [describe your dispute and claim], one at a time, waiting for your answer. Answer each before the next, then tighten any reply that rambled.
Act as a small claims judge and ask me the ten questions you would most likely ask about my case: [describe your dispute and claim]. Ask them one at a time and wait for my answer.
Pro tip: Say your answers out loud, not just in your head.
Answer the Hard One
18/20✨ What it does
This prompt writes a short, calm response to [their main point] that sticks to the facts and your evidence without getting defensive. Memorize it, then deliver it if they raise that point.
The other side's strongest argument is [their main point]. Help me prepare a short, calm response that sticks to the facts and my evidence, without getting defensive.
Pro tip: Plan for their strongest argument, not their weakest.
Stay Calm and Clear
19/20✨ What it does
This prompt gives three plain reminders for speaking to a judge, such as staying factual, brief, and respectful, tailored to [describe your case and what makes you nervous about representing yourself]. Read them the morning of court, then pause before you answer.
Give me three plain-language reminders for speaking to a judge, such as staying factual, being brief, and being respectful, tailored to my situation: [describe your case and what makes you nervous about representing yourself].
Pro tip: When in doubt, slow down and stick to the timeline.
What to Bring
20/20✨ What it does
This prompt gives a day-of checklist for [describe it], including copies of evidence, your timeline, your claim total, and anything to hand the judge. Pack the night before, then bring an extra set of copies.
Give me a checklist of what to take to my small claims hearing, based on my case: [describe it]. Include copies of evidence, my timeline, my claim total, and anything I should have ready to hand to the judge.
Pro tip: Bring at least three copies of every document: one for you, the judge, and the other side.
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