Questions tagged [pro-se]
A person acting as their own legal representation.
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When practicing law pro se, can one have the assistance of a paralegal?
Lawyers often use paralegals and legal assistants to prepare legal documents. While only certified lawyers may practice law, paralegals can still prepare legal documents if a lawyer oversees the work ...
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What resources are available to a pro se litigant?
Suppose I am not a professional lawyer but I have standing and want to bring a case to court pro se. To make this widely applicable and more readily answerable: Suppose I want to file a 42 USC 1983 ...
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Unable to afford a lawyer, can I go into court by myself?
A lot of people are unable to afford a public defender, so I was wondering if this is possible.
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2
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Can a person appear in court pro se with counsel?
I already know about the possible folly for doing this, so my question is not how wise would this be, but rather:
In some criminal trials, defendants have multiple attorneys working the case. In OJ ...
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What are the potential pitfalls of representing oneself pro se?
Where do pros se litigants most often fail? Is it because of ignorance of legal protocols? Is it because they use overly aggressive tactics that most lawyers wouldn't use? Is it because they failed to ...
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How does lawyers' duty of fidelity to court work?
Rules of conduct and client care for lawyers say in Chapter 13:
The overriding duty of a lawyer acting in litigation is to the court
concerned. Subject to this, the lawyer has a duty to act in the ...
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Can a power of attorney allow you to act "pro se" on behalf of the issuer?
Anyone can represent themselves in a court of law, if he or she doesn't want, or can't afford, a lawyer. On the other hand, only lawyers who have passed the bar in a state are allowed to represent ...
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Does one have to name third parties in a lawsuit?
If someone is indirectly involved in a case but not a defendant, do they have to be specified by name in the complaint? For example, say person A asks their neighbor, person B, if they can borrow five ...
user31745
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What options exist for doing one's own legal work?
To my understanding, you can always represent yourself in court. So when is it a good idea to get a lawyer? I have a relatively simple case but could use a few pointers. I know legal proceedings have ...
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When can a defendant in a criminal trial introduce evidence?
I was watching a criminal speeding trial in Texas a few weeks ago. The defendant was acting pro se. A police dash-cam video apparently existed of the incident and the defendant was in possession of it....
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Who is to examine the witness who is the self-represented plaintiff or prosecutor?
Bob is a self-represented plaintiff in a civil case (or, say, private prosecutor in a criminal case). He is also a witness. If the trial is judge-alone aka bench (not jury), he is able to conduct it ...
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What is the winning ratio of pro-se defendants in U.S. criminal cases?
In cases where a criminal defendant rejects the service of counsel and defends himself pro se, how often is he acquitted?
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Can a pro se defendant make statements of fact in his opening and closing arguments?
If a defendant in a criminal case testifies on the stand, then they must submit to cross examination, which is not good for them.
However, if a defendant is conducting his case pro se, then can he ...
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The right of self-represented detainee/prisoner to do legal research
Bob is arrested awaiting bail or trial (or imprisoned after conviction) but is adamant to represent himself vs get a lawyer. (I agree that practically/tactically this will often be the wrong call even ...
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Can more recent evidence be considered in an appeal?
I requested an impartial special education hearing to establish eligibility under IDEA for my son. I lost at hearing but won on review. (I am in a "two tier" state, New York.) The evidence ...
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1
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Why would a defendant in the Georgia 2020 election subversion case who is also a lawyer NOT represent himself? [duplicate]
One would think that several co-defendants in the Georgia 2020 election subversion case are able to represent themselves, such as John Eastman, Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, Jeffrey Clark, etc. due to ...
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Are disabilities taken into consideration when establishing jurisdiction?
If a person has a disability, whether physical or psychological, that would make traveling out of state/country a hardship for them, will the courts grant that person's state personal jurisdiction ...
user31745
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1
answer
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When is an email message admissible evidence?
I am a parent who is pursuing a special education impartial hearing without a lawyer. I have learned (in the hearing) that I can question district employee A about an email message I sent to that ...
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2
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How successful are non-lawyers when filing declaratory judgements?
First, note that I wanted to ask the question "how hard is it to file and argue a declaratory judgment?" But that would have probably been a subjective question. But if you could include in your ...
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1
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451
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How to dismiss my attorney and act pro se
My attorney failed to submit an important document for my hearing which resulted in a continuance for one year. There are other issues such as refusing to share information with me even when I am ...
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1
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Can a lawyer advise a pro se litigant for technical purposes, without representing them?
May an attorney or legal advisor sit with a pro se litigant to advise on admissibility and/or rules in an Adversarial Chapter 11 proceeding?
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3
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loaded questions in pseudo-legal scenario
How is a loaded question dealt with in a legal, or legalistic, context?
Is there particular language which is typically employed, or is there a strategy which is particularly effective?
The specific ...
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3
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If a tort occurs over social media, does the Plaintiff's state have personal jurisdiction over the defendant?
Say person A lives in one state, and person B was harassing them on social media. Person A wants to sue for both libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Would the harassment (B making ...
user31745
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Attorney Sanctions
A pro se litigant in NY, who has been litigating a complex matter for over 10 years, is finding that the opposition's papers have increasing false citations and gibberish in them.
A good example is ...
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2
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How to describe harassment by opposing lawyer in hearing?
I was recently involved in a special education impartial hearing. I was pro se. The school district's lawyer harassed me when I was testifying, and one of my expert witnesses, as well, with her body ...
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1
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How are lay people or litigants in person expected to engage with respect to the civil rules of procedure?
It's commonly said that there's a principle in the running of the courts of the UK that they are designed to accommodate and level the playing field within reason between professional barristers and ...
1
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1
answer
229
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Citation of newspaper articles for inclusion in a legal exhibit
I am preparing my exhibits for a special education impartial hearing. The requirements are less stringent than for a court case. If I can satisfy the requirements for a court case, I will be fine. ...
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1
answer
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What motion follows a failure to show cause?
I am representing myself. I filed a motion to terminate probation on April 8th, the motion was received by a judge on the 11th and he issued an order of rule to show cause to the district attorney's ...
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354
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Are exhibits presented in order of importance or the order they'relisted?
Are exhibits listed in the order they appear or in order of importance? I'm following the sample format on my county's "self-help center" for pro se litigants, and the example is for another ...
user31745
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2
answers
131
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How do I take my child's school district to court (NY)?
I received an emailed letter from the superintendent of my child's school district, notifying me that I am prohibited from entering my child's school without a prior appointment. Failure to comply ...
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What torts can a person not yet admitted to the bar represent before a California state or federal court?
A comment on a recent question stuck with me: "[L]ay people can't prosecute [torts] in California".
Is this correct? And if so, to what extent? What torts can and cannot be prosecuted by a ...
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273
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Do courts award legal costs to successful pro se litigants?
Say someone represents himself in court and wins. There were no lawyers hired but the win costed him days of legal research (instead of working in his normal profession, paid per hour of factual work),...
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1
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In a legal evidence submission packet, what is common nomenclature for different types of articles?
For example one might have exhibit 1, exhibit 2, and so on, but also various witness statements. Are these statements themselves also exhibits? Where else can one find references of these sorts of ...
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1
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How much detail does one include in a complaint?
I literally spent the entire day working on my complaint, but just read (on avvo) that providing too much detail can get the suit dismissed. My complaint recounts each detail of the situation in order ...
user31745
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1
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If one is suing for libel, would they just list "libel" in the "claims for relief" section in a complaint, or would the specify the type of libel?
If one is suing for libel, do they just write "libel" in the "claims for relief" section of the complaint or do they specify libel per se or libel per quod? Furthermore, can one ...
user31745
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1
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109
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How does a pro se defendant subpoena digital evidence for the defense?
In specific, if partial evidence of blackmail and witness intimidation, (death threats), were to be made public on the web and in direct text, how would the defense go about gaining access to the ...
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2
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514
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Alternative to "Isn't it true that...?" when questioning witnesses
I am a parent who is going to a special education impartial hearing without a lawyer. I have read that with school district witnesses, I am allowed to ask questions of the form "Isn't it true that...?...
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0
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380
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Does a defendant in a criminal misdemeanor trial have to show up for announcement?
I noticed that for speeding tickets and class C misdemeanors in our county court in Texas, the court will many times schedule an announcement repeatedly.
If a defendant shows up for the announcement ...
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Submitting files to docket when I am representing myself in a law suit
I am representing myself in a civil law suit. How can I submit files and exhibits to my court docket?
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