Attention: Workshop will be held at Harvard Science Center Hall A from 1 to 4 PM on July 17th, 24th, and 31st.
The Small Claims Advisory Service (SCAS) is a non-governmental Massachusetts public service organization that provides free legal information regading Massachusetts small claims law and procedure. For any questions about Small Claims law (including those this site can't answer) feel free to call our hotline at (617) 497-5690 or email us with a brief, specific question at questions@masmallclaims.org.
Contents
About Us
Find out about the Small Claims Advisory Service.
SCAS Mission Statement
The Small Claims Advisory Service is the only organization in Massachusetts that focuses primarily on helping individuals navigate the small claims court system in the Commonwealth. Our mission is to empower socioeconomically disadvantaged people in order for them to seek legal redress effectively through the small claims system, and to protect their rights as consumers, tenants, and members of our community. Often, these individuals are unaware of their options without our help. Through telephone communication and appointments, we provide citizens with information on Massachusetts law, small claims procedure, and effective court presentations.
The Organizational Structure of SCAS
SCAS was founded in 1973 as a subcommittee of the Phillips Brooks House Legal Committee. The first SCAS volunteers worked out of the Roxbury Courthouse, helping clients prepare for their cases by informing them of their rights. Originally, SCAS was no more than six students. Since that time, SCAS has grown considerably. It now has over 85 active volunteers helping the citizens of Massachusetts navigate the small claims system directly by phone and by appointment, and indirectly by advocating structural (i.e. legislative) change. (For a more in-depth account of the history of SCAS, please see the article “The History of SCAS.”)
SCAS is run by a 12-person Board of Directors made up of one Executive Director (the official “head” of SCAS) and eleven other Directors, each of whom is in charge of one of SCAS’s eleven departments. These departments are:
Foreign Languages Committee – responsible for heading the initiatives for creating other foreign-language SCAS offices and reaching out to bilingual communities through publicity initiatives.
Chinatown SCAS - responsible for the upkeep and staffing of the SCAS branch office at the Chinese Progressive Association, holding appointments for clients in Mandarin and Cantonese.
Communications – responsible for keeping the greater SCAS organization updated on the activities of all committees. Also in charge of advertising and publicity.
Finance – takes care of the SCAS budget, keeps records of SCAS finances, and works to secure funds to keep SCAS financially healthy. The finance committee is also in charge of SCAS's alumni outreach efforts.
Low-Income Outreach – responsible for spreading the word about SCAS, our services, and our expertise to the clientele we are trying to reach.
Government Relations/Law Reform – acts as a liaison between SCAS and local courthouses and other government outlets by developing relationships with officials and disseminating program information. . Works to write and present bills to the Massachusetts legislature to improve the small claims system and benefit the low-income clientele we focus upon.
Greater Boston Legal Services Office – responsible for SCAS’s drop-in office at Greater Boston Legal Services, which assists clients, in person, with their small claims cases; also arranges court-accompaniments
Legal Research – responsible for investigating the more difficult questions we receive from clients, and maintaining the SCAS online help center.
PBH Office – in charge of overseeing the use and upkeep of the SCAS office, located in the basement of PBH.
Technology - Responsible for upkeep of SCAS's database, computer system, voicemail, and maintenance and improvement of SCAS website.
Training – responsible for training, both in the law and in the workings of SCAS, all new SCAS volunteers through the semester-long comp process.
The terms of all Board members begin January 1 and end December 31. Each November, the Board of Directors selects the Executive Director for the following year by an application, interview, and election process. The outgoing board then holds elections to select the new directors (and, if applicable, assistant directors) for each department.
The Summer SCAS Program
Though not included among the eight standard departments, Summer SCAS is another important element of SCAS. The courts of Massachusetts do not shut down in the summertime, and therefore neither does SCAS. Traditionally, Harvard University has allowed PBHA to occupy a set number of housing spaces in an upperclass house on campus. PBHA then allots SCAS housing spaces for its volunteers. In return for free housing, PBHA requires that all summer volunteers do approximately 30 hours of work per week for their respective programs. SCAS volunteers fill these hours by helping clients in the usual fashion – staffing the two offices, researching their questions, and accompanying them to court – and also by taking on projects to improve SCAS that are too time-consuming to be tackled during the academic term. Volunteers who have had the opportunity to participate in the summer program describe it as one of the most enjoyable and rewarding experiences SCAS has to offer. Applications for the positions of Summer Director and Summer Volunteer are made available in the spring.
The SCAS Offices
Only after completing the comp may volunteers assist SCAS clients on their own. The two major arteries through which SCAS most directly helps its clients are the Phillips Brooks House Office and the Community Office at Greater Boston Legal Services in downtown Boston.
The PBH Office is the heart and soul of SCAS, as it is the most utilized means through which SCAS helps its clients. The PBH Office houses the SCAS library, archives (i.e. file cabinet), workgroups, and just about anything and everything else important to SCAS. The phone number for the PBH Office is (617) 497-5690 (this number is always a question on the final test!). The PBH Office is open Monday through Saturday. In periods during which the College has vacation, the hours are adjusted or the offices are closed. One exception to this rule occurs in summertime, when SCAS remains open for business.
The GBLS Community Office is located on the second floor of the Greater Boston Legal Services Building at 197 Friend Street in downtown Boston. The phone numbers for this office are (617) 371-1234 or (800) 323-3205. Dialing either of these numbers will bring clients to a receptionist, at which point they should ask for “SCAS” in order to be connected to our office. Clients who would like in-person assistance with their cases, as well as those who are calling from outside the state of Massachusetts, will be handled through the Community Office.
The Chinatown SCAS Office is located at the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) at 28 Asth Street in Chinatown. Appointments can be scheduled by calling CPA directly at (617) 357-4499.
The Spanish SCAS Office, SCAS’s newest office, is located at El Concilio Hispano at 105 Windsor Street near Central Square in Cambridge. Appointments are scheduled by calling SCAS’s main phone line.