Unfortunately, unlike professional ball players on courts and fields across the land, you cannot get paid just for showing up. This holds true when you must appear in court rather than the workplace. In fact, most small claims courts offer evening or Saturday small claims sessions, so it should not be necessary to miss a single beat around the office watercooler.

You can, however, ask for compensation for wages you lost because you had to attend to a medical condition or trauma that forms the basis of your small claims action.