Many small claims courts now permit actions to be started by mail and consider actions valid if started under a trade name rather than the full legal name of a corporation or merchant. Courts also use checklist forms for common proceedings, provide films or manuals for claimants, have pretrial proceedings, and maintain separate calendars for business and collection claims. Other techniques being used include the use of mediation and arbitration, the liberal interpretation of rules of evidence, the use of expert witnesses, and the use of informal hearing procedures. Additional techniques relate to continuances and adjournments, defaults, remedies and relief, the method of rendering a decision, collections of judgments, and mechanisms for filing satisfactions of judgment. Notes and 9 references.