West Virginia should make courts more accessible by increasing the small claims limit from $ 5,000 to $ 20,000, according to a legal advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.

"A $ 5,000 limit on small claims leaves many people stuck in a legal no-man's land with a dispute that is too small for claims court, yet not large enough to hire an attorney," said Tom Gordon, the senior lawyer for HALT - An Organization of Americans for Legal Reform.

"With the low small claims dollar limit in place now, West Virginia is shutting out large numbers of people from the civil justice system."

Small claims are handled in county magistrate courts, and are decided using simple enough procedures for most non-lawyers to represent themselves.

As part of an effort to advocate for more extensive use of the small claims system, the legal advocacy group graded the courts in West Virginia and the nation's other states. The group didn't give out a single A.

West Virginia got a C-.

The group said West Virginia has "room for improvement."

It said the state should hold small claims hearings on evenings and weekends so people don't have to miss work for court and should offer mediation services to people litigating small claims so they can resolve their disputes before seeing a judge.