Where is the form….
At some point in the last twenty years apparently people have come to believe that there is a legal form for every situation, and if they just had the right form it will solve all…
pro per
Settlement v. Trial
Legal experts on the internet often get asked "Should I settle my case?" The question is, occasionally, preceded by either a long and rambling set of mostly irrelevant facts or, on the other hand, just…
What To Do If Your Lawyer Quits
There are really 4 different types of people who represent themselves: 1) People who choose to proceed without a lawyer These people believe that they can represent themselves as good as an attorney or make…
The Importance of Discovery
Many people representing themselves in court, known in legal parlance as pro per or pro se, think that once they file the lawsuit then all they need to do is show up at the hearing….
Does Your Lawyer Care About Your Case?
Over and over I have heard and read the complaints that, "My lawyer is working for the other side." Sorry, there is about a 99% chance that's just BS. You may not want to hear…
Walk It Off
Even though I am no longer practicing law, I still do some consulting and often get calls from lawyers that I know wanting to bounce ideas off of me or ask questions. Just the other…
Objections Can Make Your Discovery Useless
A friend passed along this issue and asked us to write an entry on it since it is pretty common in lawsuits, but might be one of those issues that a person representing themselves pro…
Top 10 Myths About the Legal System That Pro Se Parties Believe
1) The courts are fair On a whole, this is probably more true than not but just slightly and definitely not to the degree that a person representing themselves believes. A lot of the later…
The Burden of Proof – What It Is and Why It Is Important
A really tricky part of a case, and one that gets many pro se litigants confused, is the concept of the burden of proof. Simply put, the burden of proof tells you who has to…
Think Like a Lawyer!
Look, the simple fact is that there are good lawyers and bad lawyers. There are smart lawyer and dumb lawyers. And there are skilled lawyers and unskilled ones. The same applies to judges as well….