This seminar is intended for magistrates who hold Small Claims court, and allows for a “deep dive” into skill-building and substantive law for small claims magistrates at various stages in their careers. The 2026 Special Topics class will be held remotely over Zoom, and will cover the same material as the 2024 and 2025 offerings, focusing on negligence, contracts, and leases, satisfying the Summary Ejectment Laws continuing education requirement under G.S. 7A-177(b1). Magistrates will receive instruction and practice in:

• analyzing intentional tort and negligence claims and defenses;
• evaluating contract claims and defenses, including leases;
• developing personalized checklists, scripts, and standardized practices to improve consistency and confidence in conducting court;
• assessing damages and entering judgment.

In an effort to reach magistrates who were unable to attend in person, we are planning to offer Special Topics in Small Claims online in even-numbered years. For this first online offering, we will repeat material from 2024 and 2025. This will be the final opportunity to receive instruction on this material before the course content is refreshed in 2027.