A Tip for Pro Se Litigants
A post in the Wall Street Journal Law Blog, commenting on an Associated Press report, notes that the number of pro se litigants has increased and they are “clogging” the courts with errors that sometimes have long-range consequences. Pro se litigants, of course, are litigants who represent themselves without lawyers. The post is by Jennifer Forsyth and telegraphs its point in the title: “Pro Se Litigants On the Rise and Mucking Things Up.”
LB ironically notes that the American Bar Association, apparently going with the flow, is urging states to create help desks and standard forms for such thins as uncontested divorces.
In this blog, we try to identify “best practices.” We have plenty of “war stories” to confirm that mistakes made by individuals who don’t want to pay a lawyer can have long-term and, we will add, very expensive consequences. The old saying “penny wise and pound (or dollar) foolish is apt.
However, I would not suggest that an attorney is needed for every aspect of every minor legal matter. It’s just not cost-effective.
The best practice seems clear: Consult an attorney. Then, decide together whether the matter is one you should be able to handle pro se. The fee for a consultation to decide how to proceed is likely to be cost-effective in the long run.
