If you are currently doing business in Missouri or are looking to start a business in Missouri, it may be helpful to obtain information about Missouri state courts laws and regulations. Whether you are filing a civil claim involving a business dispute or running criminal background checks on a prospective employee, as a business owner you’ll need to know what to do in Missouri state courts and how to obtain Missouri state court records.

The state of Missouri court system includes more than 400 judges in the Missouri Supreme Court, Court of Appeals and various circuit and municipal courts. Missouri judges hear over one million cases per year. To learn more about Missouri state courts laws and regulations, you should:

1. Gather information about the state of Missouri court system from various online sources.

2. Familiarize yourself with Missouri bankruptcy court rules.

3. Research how to obtain Missouri state court records.

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The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Obtain education about Missouri state courts

The Missouri Court of Appeals hears appeals from circuit courts. The Missouri state Supreme Court, the state's highest court, hears the most controversial arguments affecting the state's businesses, residents and organizations. The Missouri circuit court has jurisdiction to rule on civil and criminal cases. The Missouri municipal court hears and rules on violations involving municipal ordinances.

I recommend: Obtain professional advice about navigating the Missouri court system by visiting Van Matre. You may also consider obtaining information about state of Missouri courts by checking out the Missouri Courts website.

Learn about the state of Missouri court bankruptcy rules

While many businesses want to avoid bankruptcy at all costs, it may be the most viable option for some companies. If you are doing business in Missouri, you may consider not only obtaining as much general information as you can about the Missouri state court system, but also specifics about Missouri bankruptcy court.

I recommend: Check out U.S. Courts to obtain details about Missouri bankruptcy court. You may also consider contacting Sherk & Swope to read more about filing bankruptcy in the state of Missouri.

Access Missouri state court records

You can access information about docket entries, parties, judgments and charges filed in a Missouri state court records online free of charge. You may also obtain information about Missouri court cases from various companies within the state that sell public information.

I recommend: Consider checking out PublicRecordFinder.com to obtain Missouri court records. You can also check out Your Missouri Courts online to obtain public information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Defending a business dispute in state courts in Missouri can be expensive, especially for small business owners. To keep litigation costs down, Missouri employers should consult with their attorneys about making a reasonable, concerted effort to settle cases in mediation by other dispute resolution methods outside of the courtroom.

A basic knowledge of the state of Missouri court structure can be beneficial if you ever find yourself in the courtroom. All too often individuals and businesses find the need to file a lawsuit, or are at the receiving end of a lawsuit, and their lack of knowledge on how the court system works leaves them lost in the proceedings. Regardless of the circumstances that put you there, it doesn’t hurt to understand the court process.

It’s important to know that there are multiple courts in each state that handle different types of cases. Each of these courts has a judge that administers the law and case process. When considering courts among the Missouri state courts, keep the following in mind:

1. Every county contains a Missouri court located in the county seat.

2. The Missouri State Supreme Court and Missouri Court of Appeals only hear appellate cases.

3. Bankruptcy information and case filings are accessible through Missouri state court records.

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Locate information on state of Missouri court cases

There are 45 circuit courts in Missouri, with a courthouse located in every county, typically in the county seat. For example, the Greene County Circuit Court is in Springfield. The division of the Missouri circuit court is as follows: circuit civil division, associate civil division, family, small claims, criminal, probate and juvenile divisions. Additionally, most towns and cities have a Missouri Municipal Court that maintains original jurisdiction for municipal ordinance violations, which are typically traffic violations within the city limits.

I recommend: Access Missouri court records to check the status of your case at Missouri Case.net. Search by party name, filing date or case number. Obtain contact information for each Missouri circuit court at Your Missouri Courts.

File an appeal with the Missouri Supreme Court and Court of Appeals

The purpose of an appellate court is to review the trial transcript and original evidence of a case to determine if there were any errors in the original case decision. There are no witnesses, jurors or new evidence in a case heard before Missouri appellate court justices and their decisions are final. The Missouri State Supreme Court hears appeals on decisions made by the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals has three districts: eastern, western and southern. Each district hears appellate cases appointed by the Supreme Court or stemming from circuit court decisions within the geographical area of jurisdiction.

I recommend: Obtain information on previous decisions made by the appellate courts by accessing Opinions for all Missouri Appellate Courts. Perform legal research to determine how strong your case is and if an appeal would be successful by using the MU School of Law – Law Library and Technology.

Access Missouri bankruptcy court records

Whether you need to search for a bankruptcy filing on a debtor or determine if bankruptcy is an option for you or your company, the Missouri Bankruptcy Courts can assist you with both. Two districts make up the Missouri Bankruptcy court system: eastern and western. Each provide information on the basics for bankruptcy filing, contact information for trustees and bankruptcy attorneys and an online search of Missouri bankruptcy records through the PACER system (Public Access to Court Electronic Records).

I recommend: Obtain local bankruptcy forms on the US Bankruptcy Court – Eastern District of Missouri website. Visit the bankruptcy court records search on the Western District of Missouri Document Filing System.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Regardless of how much knowledge you have of Missouri state courts, you should hire an attorney who specializes in your specific type of case to represent you.

You can follow Missouri state courts news and trends by staying current with state and local news media. Television and newspapers for St. Louis, Kansas City and Springfield often carry news from Missouri state courts. The smaller cities of Columbia, Jefferson City, Joplin, Cape Girardeau, St. Joseph and Kirksville cover Missouri circuit court news in their regions as well.

As you look for Missouri state courts news and trends, consider the information you are seeking so you can find the best source. You should know that:

1. Decisions from the Missouri state Supreme Court carry more weight than decisions from a lower Missouri court.

2. Some news venues only provide current dockets rather than case analysis.

3. Sources and media ownership sometimes influence the bias of the news story.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Follow news and trends from the state courts in Missouri

You can find information on the circuit courts, the three courts of appeal and the Supreme Court in various newsletters and news releases. If you are following a particular case, it's important that you know the case's name.

I recommend: Follow case news of Missouri court appeals from the Eastern District in St. Louis on the official Missouri government website. There are similar pages for the Western and Southern Districts. You can find news information about the Sixteenth District Circuit Court in Jackson County (Kansas City area) on its website. Other district courts have similar websites.

Find state of Missouri court news

You can find a variety of newspapers, television news online and other media outlets that carry information pertinent to Missouri laws. In some cases you can not only find print material, but you can also find audio and video news.

I recommend: Missouri Digital News provides information about Missouri state courts. You can click on the tabs to find additional links to Missouri court cases, as well as other news stories from the other state courts in Missouri. The Missouri Bar has audio copy of news conferences that pertain to actions of the Missouri court of appeals, as well as the Missouri state supreme court.

Sign up for blogs that follow state courts in Missouri

You can find a number of blogs pertaining to news and trends from Missouri court records. As you follow these blog entries, you can see legal trends from the courts in Missouri.

I recommend: The Missouri Divorce & Family Law Blog has news and trends from Missouri state court records. This blog focuses on Missouri court records that pertain to family law and divorce proceedings. Track Missouri state courts news and trends at Molawyers, a blog published by Missouri Lawyers Media. You can find items from Missouri bankruptcy court and the Missouri Supreme Court, as well as cases tracked from Missouri state court records.

Knowing the hierarchy, functions and procedures of the various State courts can be overwhelming for individuals. The Missouri State Supreme Court is the highest state court and oversees the lower state courts. What about the Court of Appeals and Circuit Courts, what duties and responsibilities do those courts have? In addition to the various courts, there are also statutes, the Missouri Code of State Regulations and Case.net that one must be familiar.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Missouri State Supreme Court

The Missouri State Supreme Court located in Jefferson City is the highest state court and is responsible for hearing appeals cases involving death penalties, the legality of United States or the State of Missouri's statute, treaty or constitutional provision, revenue laws and an elected official's privilege to hold office.

I recommend: Refer to the Missouri State Supreme Court webpage to learn more about the duties and functions of the Court.

Missouri Court of Appeals

The Missouri Court of Appeals presides over appeals from Missouri's lower courts. Cases that the Court of Appeals presided over go to the State Supreme Court for appeal. In appeal proceedings, lawyers for both sides of the case present their arguments to the judge where he/she decides if a prejudicial error occurred during the lower court proceedings.

I recommend: To learn more about the responsibilities of the Court of Appeals as well as how one becomes a Court of Appeals judge, refer to the Missouri Court of Appeals webpage.

Missouri Circuit Court

There are 45 circuit courts located in Missouri that are responsible for overseeing civil and criminal court cases. In addition, the Missouri Circuit Court system consists of several divisions such as small claims, family, probate and juvenile courts.

I recommend: Refer to the Missouri Circuit Court webpage for more information on the organization, duties and location of Missouri’s Circuit Courts.

Missouri statutes

Statutes are laws that govern citizens and encompass a range of topics such as the executive and legislative branches, political subdivisions, taxation and revenue, labor and industrial relations, and courts.

I recommend: To obtain detailed information on Missouri’s Statutes, reference the Missouri General Assembly webpage.

Missouri Code of State Regulations

The Missouri Code of State Regulations establishes a set of laws that govern the activities of the various Missouri State Departments such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, Department of Social Services and Department of Public Safety.

I recommend: Refer to the Missouri Secretary of State website to learn about the Code of State Regulations.

Case.net

Case.net is an online Missouri resource that allows individuals to query court record information on a party's name, filing date and case number. This tool also provides information on scheduled hearings and trials.

I recommend: To learn more about the functions this application, refer to the Case.net webpage.