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Do I Need a Lawyer? When Can I Represent Myself?
By Bob Sherman
There are a lot of occasions in our life when we need to consult with a lawyer. Before even looking at the questions you may put to any legal| professional and before engaging their assistance there's one question you have to ask yourself first-“Do I need a lawyer?”
It's possible that the current problem you might be experiencing might be resolved without the requirement for an attorney and the sensible use of duologue and common sense will then resolve the majority of disputes when your first thought is to reach for the phone book and look for an attorney.
For example, a dispute with a neighbor relating to a boundary fence, unnecessary noise or the numerous conditions which arise once in a while with neighbors might be more positively handled by talking with your neighbor directly or through a third party like a mediator.
Other situations that you might deal with yourself include the small claims procedure in your state which is established to permit ordinary people to resolve their disputes without the burden of costly legal fees. Court staffs are generally quite supportive in answering most questions that you might have and can provide you with the proper forms to fill out and the proper procedure to follow.
A necessary aspect you should also keep in mind prior to hiring an attorney is this: the lay litigant, who is the ordinary person without legal representation, in my experience, always receives a fair hearing from the court and the main reason for this is the ideals upon which our legal system was constructed.
As you consider laws and justice, a symbol you'll always picture are the scales of justice.
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This represents a balancing of the rights of each person in a dispute on which the judge will pass judgment. Judges are quite mindful of a need to guarantee that when faced with a decision that they really are keeping those scales well balanced. Whenever a judge is faced with a lay litigant on the one hand and an experienced attorney on the other side of the argument the judge will always make certain that the scales are kept in balance by being very helpful and courteous to the lay litigant to ensure that his rights aren't trampled on by a smooth, experienced attorney.
For this reason you may consider representing yourself in less serious situations and where the cost of hiring an attorney is prohibitive or where you may simply not have the money. However it is best to consider it carefully before representing yourself since it could prove very costly in the long term.
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