PA Court System

Question 1

How many judicial districts are there in PA?

Answer 1

60; most are one county; each court has a court of common pleas

Question 2

Court of Common Pleas

Answer 2

Trial court of general jurisdiction

Question 3

Small claims courts

Answer 3

For small civil cases, have jurisdictional amount

District courts and Philadelphia Municipal court have jurisdictional limit of $12,000

Question 4

Arbitration

Answer 4

In most counties cases filed with the Court of Common Pleas can be sent to compulsory arbitration

Philadelphia and Allegheny Counties have compulsory arbitration for claims of $50,000 or less, but in some counties it’s lower

Actions involving title to real property are not subject to compulsory arbitration

Arbitration panels consist of 3 attorneys

Losing party has right to appeal for a trial de novo in Court of Common Pleas

Question 5

Intermediate Appellate Courts in PA

Answer 5

Superior Court: takes most cases

Commonwealth Court: deals with cases by and against governmental entities and administrative law matters (has considerable original jurisdiction, but not in areas typically tested on bar)

Question 6

PA Supreme Court

Answer 6

Highest court in PA

Question 7

Prothonotary

Answer 7

Court clerk

Question 8

Praecipe

Answer 8

Request directed to the prothonotary

Question 9

Preliminary Objection

Answer 9

Pre-answer response to the complaint

PA equivalent of a Rule 12 motion

Question 10

Writ of Summons

Answer 10

Means of commencing a lawsuit without filing a complaint

Question 11

Difference between Motion and Petition

Answer 11

Both are requests for the court to rule on a matter

Motion: based solely on matters already of record

Petition: includes factual averments not of record and may require additional discovery for adjudication