Saturday, March 21, 2009

Caution: Don't try this at home... or in Court

Yesterday I was in the courthouse and ran into a former client. I was concerned the moment I saw him because I could not imagine why he would be there unless he was in trouble. When I recently represented this young man, he had finally obtained a valid Illinois Driver's License and avoided any jail time.

We greeted each other and I asked him why he was there. He told me he had decided to represent himself on an old case and that the case I had with him was attached. I asked him what happened and he said that he decided to go to jail for a few days to finish all of the obligations of the cases. I asked him why he did not contact me when the cases were consolidated and he was sheepish. I will admit that I read him the riot act because he had watched too much People's Court and Law and Order and figured he could get as good a result for himself as I was able to get for him. Much to his dismay, he was about to lose his driving privileges. I explained to him that once he negotiated with the judge to let him meet all his obligations by going to jail he had jeopardized his driving privileges.

Folks, I know from time-to-time experienced lawyers make it look easy, that does not mean you should try it yourself. You are held to the same standard when you represent yourself , pro se, and that is not usually a wise thing to do. I have had the displeasure of even watching a lawyer represent himself and plead guilty to a criminal misdemeanor. This will jeopardize his law license. I tried to stop him, but he thought he knew better because he was a lawyer, there is good reason for a judge to always remind a lawyer in these circumstances of the old saying, "S/He who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client." So if that is true for those licensed and trained in the practice of law, what do you think that really means for you?

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Comments are welcome but please do not leave personal information or specific legal questions in the comment field. If you need legal assistance, the best way to get in touch with me is to call my office at 312.944.3973

Post a Comment

Comments are welcome but please do not leave personal information or specific legal questions in the comment field. If you need legal assistance, the best way to get in touch with me is to call my office at 312.944.3973