A Fool for a Client: Difference between revisions
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A person who represents oneself in court without the assistance of an attorney, whether as the defendant or the plaintiff, and whether or not the issue before the court is criminal or civil, is said to be operating ''pro se'' (a Latin phrase meaning "for oneself"). In the United States, at least, the right of a member of the public to represent himself predates the existence of the U.S. Constitution, and it is generally considered a part of the protected right to seek a redress of grievances.
In general, most legal professionals consider a person going to court without the aid of an attorney to be a really bad idea. Even when the litigant ''is an attorney oneself''. Not all attorneys are versed in all forms of law; how many murderers does the average tax lawyer defend in their lifetime, after all? Furthemore, even if said attorney ''is'' an expert in the precise field of law, being that close to the matter at hand is a great way to lose sight of the big picture.<ref>Medical Doctors are admonished never to self-treat for the same reason, but they're [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6454281.stm worse than lawyers at following that rule]; probably because an MD signing a prescription is a lot less visible than lawyers making fools of themselves in front of an entire courtroom</ref>
But of course, something being a really bad idea has never stopped anyone before, even when the charge is only a [[The Trouble with Tickets|parking violation]].
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== Comic Books ==
* In the 2011 ''[[Daredevil]]'' series, this actually becomes Matt Murdock's new business plan. Since Matt Murdock is widely suspected of secretly being Daredevil, it becomes difficult for him to represent clients effectively. So he and his partner Foggy Nelson start a new
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* In an episode of ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'', Sheldon defends himself in traffic court for a unpaid ticket.
* In one episode of ''[[Sledge Hammer]]'', Sledge gets accused of murder and decides to defend himself. Right before the big supprise reveal at the end, the judge asks the Prosecution if they have anything to say and the prosecutor responds that Sledge has already made all their points for them.
* Subverted in the season 5 finale of ''[[Bones]]'': The Gravedigger, a prominent prosecutor, is their own defense attorney against multiple murder charges; they consistently out-maneuvering the prosecutor (Caroline) for most of the trial and don't make any obvious legal mistakes (with the possible exception of acting '''way''' too smug for someone who is on trial for kidnapping and first-degree
* In the season 4 premiere of ''[[The Mentalist]]'', Jane chooses to represent himself, {{spoiler|in a trial for a murder that he freely admits to. He's found innocent.}}
* William Garrow in ''[[Garrows Law]]'' does this during his potentially ruinous criminal conversation trial at the King's Bench. {{spoiler|He manages it successfully to the point where, although the jury find in favour of Sir Arthur Hill, Hill is only awarded damages of one shilling.}}
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