{"id":368986,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:05","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/litigation\/going-to-court\/dealing-with-lawyers-faq.html"},"modified":"2024-04-06T17:31:19","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T22:31:19","slug":"dealing-with-lawyers-faq","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/litigation\/going-to-court\/dealing-with-lawyers-faq.html","title":{"rendered":"FAQ: How Do I Represent Myself Against Opposing Lawyers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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FAQ: How Do I Represent Myself Against Opposing Lawyers?<\/h1>\n
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\n By Samuel Strom, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Melissa Bender, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Someone may decide to represent themselves in a civil lawsuit for several reasons. Suppose the case presents minor legal issues, and the self-represented party has the time to dedicate to representing themselves. In that case, they may prevail without hiring an attorney. However, if the opposing party hires their own attorney, the pro se<\/i> litigant<\/a> may have a more challenging case than they initially thought.<\/p>\r\n

This article answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) about representing yourself in a civil lawsuit when the other side has hired an attorney. Although going head-to-head against an attorney may make prevailing in the case more difficult, it is not impossible.<\/p>\r\n

This article does not cover representing yourself in a criminal case<\/a>. As a criminal defendant, the other side (the prosecution) will always have a government attorney on the case. Contact a criminal defense attorney<\/a> if the government has charged you with a crime.<\/p>\r\n