ON YOUR OWN: SO WHAT IS “PRO SE” ANYWAY
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On Your Own: So What is “Pro Se” Anyway
I don’t quite know why, but I have had it asked to me many times. “Do I even need an attorney?” I am never quite sure if this is a sincere question or even how to answer this other than honestly, although I feel a little bias. (And yes, attorneys can be honest. You will be glad to find most are.)
My honest answer back to the person asking the question is always in the form of this line of questions. If your tooth cracked in two or you needed a root canal, would you hire a dentist? If you had a tumor that needed to be surgically removed, would you hire a doctor? The answer always seems to be yes. So it surprises me when I get the question “Do I need an attorney?”
Now granted there are some judgment calls that may need to be made, especially now that times are hard and gas is a million dollars a gallon. Let’s think this through. Your first speeding ticket that is something such as 2 miles over? Maybe not. A will drafted that will dictate what happens to all your earthly assets? A criminal charge? A new business you are starting? Well hmm?
Recently, the court started offering pro se divorce packets. I believe these were designed to make the legal system more accessible to those who have simple divorces and the parties agree on pretty much everything yet just cannot afford legal representation and need to end the marriage now. However, the do-it-yourself approach may not be the best approach for all situations. It has been my experience that pro se litigants especially divorcees gloss over terms or concepts they do not understand and end up dragging out the process or getting stuck and unsure how to proceed.
I will be the first to admit it is not always economical, feasible or even necessary to hire an attorney. But I will also say that the saying goes something like this: He who represents himself has a fool for a client. Likewise, I suspect a doctor would not perform his or her own surgery and neither a dentist perform their own root canal.
Word of the day: Pro Se. Pro se is Latin and means simple ‘for oneself’ and refers to a case where someone acts as his or her own attorney.
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