There has been a lot of publicity about people representing themselves in court. That is
generally considered not to be a good idea. If you don’t have a lot of money, and might seem tempting. However, there are reasons why this might not be a good idea.
Representing Yourself
There is a good reason so many people recommend against representing yourself. It is incredibly difficult to do. Even most lawyers will choose to hire another attorney than try to represent themselves. First of all, to represent yourself, or anyone for that matter, you need to have an intimate understanding of the legal process and procedures. Second, you need to know how to present evidence and argument in the specific way required in court. And third, you need to be able to present information in an unbiased way.
Considering the stressful situation of being involved in a court case, representing yourself is a very big challenge. You are also at a huge disadvantage unless you have received legal training. Lawyers study for years to be able to competently represent clients.
Criminal Cases
You may not realize that there are two types of court cases:
- Civil cases
- Criminal cases
The type of case does actually affect your representation. Civil cases simply involve a disagreement between two individuals. This is the kind of case that is the result of someone filing a lawsuit against another. A criminal case, on the other hand, is the result of someone being accused of breaking the law. A criminal case almost always preceded by an arrest.
If you are the defendant in a criminal case, then you will have the option to receive free legal representation. It is the right for anyone who may not be able to afford to hire an attorney to still receive legal representation. This means there is no reason for anyone in a criminal case to feel pressured to represent themselves. Of course, you always have the option to hire a different attorney, rather than taking the one that would be assigned to you for free.
If you find yourself in a civil case, you are not guaranteed the right to free legal representation. Even in civil cases, however, it is not impossible to receive free legal services. Legal clinics and pro bono attorneys are almost always available, no matter where you live. This is a better option than representing yourself.
Alexander Truluck focuses his practice as a criminal defense attorney in Clearwater, Palm Harbor, Largo, Dunedin and the Tampa Bay area.
For more information, visit our website at http://www.criminallawyerclearwaterflorida.com
or call (727) 799-3550.