Folks who know me well, know that I have not been a big fan of this General Assembly, so I want to take any opportunity I can to broadcast some good news coming from Raleigh. Session Law 2013-159 brought about a few important changes in how civil cases will be litigated, and for the most part I think there’s a lot more good than bad.
The Legislative Building in Raleigh: A place where good ideas were hard to come by.
- Small Claims Court can now hear disputes up to $10,000;
- District Court is allowed to hear claims up to $25,000;
- Arbitration may be required for many more small disputes, with new penalties for parties that appeal the arbitration award and lose; (I’m reserving judgment on that one.)
- Insurance companies now have greater incentive to settle lawsuits up to $25,000. If a Plaintiff wins a higher amount at trial than what the insurance company offered, the insurer may be required to pay the Plaintiff’s attorneys’ fees and costs. (The old limit was $20,000. There are a lot of requirements and considerations that go into this, so be sure to check with an attorney in you need more details!)
About Mike
Mike Daisley is a civil litigation attorney and Certified Mediator in Charlotte, North Carolina, and owner and president of "DaisleyLegal" a virtual law firm focused on helping victims of drunk driving injuries and other careless individuals and corporations. He devotes a significant time of his practice as a mediator in North Carolina's Superior Courts, using his 35 years of litigation experience to counsel and assist opposing parties to resolve their disputes and lawsuits cooperatively, avoiding the high expenses and time commitments involved in going to trial.
In addition to his commitment to Civil Trial Advocacy and Alternative Dispute Resolution, Mike is also an avid writer, and has a wide array of interests outside of his legal practice, including stints as a columnist for The Charlotte Observer, political analyst for WCNC-TV and WBT Radio. Mike’s biggest passion outside the law is learning and writing about theology, and especially the role doubt plays in faith, the role faith plays (or should play) in politics, and (as he puts it) the “beauty and deep mystery” of the liturgy.
Mike is a lifelong Episcopalian, and often jokes that means "I am a raging agnostic at least two or three days a week.” In 2019, he was appointed by the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina as a licensed Lay Preacher in the Episcopal Church.
(A sample of Mike’s preaching can be heard here: http://www.stmartins-charlotte.org/content.cfm?id=2245&download_id=269#attached_content)
To discuss the possibility of teaching, lecture, sermon or interview requests (or to make any comments or suggestions about the “WithGladness” blog) you may contact Mike at any
Office email : Mike@DaisleyLegal.com
Personal email: MikeDaisley@outlook.com
Office voicemail: (704) 554-2306
Mike Daisley & Associates, LLC
1515 Mockingbird Lane, Suite 400
Charlotte, North Carolina 28209
NCLegalTrends.com from DaisleyLaw, PLLC 
Mike,
Thanks for highlighting the helpful points in the new law. The legislature certainly has made doing so very difficult work.
For example, Section 3 of the same Session Law seems to have “de-clarified” court-ordered non-binding arbitration. Now, it’s mandatory state-wide… unless it isn’t… or the parties waive.
At least there’s a waiver form here in Wake Co.
Thanks again,
Inez
P.S. In case it’s helpful, we’ve got a Word version of that waiver form you can grab and customize here: http://deondarzasimmons.com/key-changes-nc-arbitration/