A faster court process can shorten a case. It cannot restore a friendship, supply missing legal judgment, or make an insolvent debtor's money appear. Three lawyers' case files show where the real cost of a modest claim often begins. The rain was already heavy when an injured day laborer left the courthouse. His lawyer walked him toward a car, still trying to explain the choice the judge had placed before him. The man, whom this article calls Mr. Liu, had been hurt while doing