March Newsletter
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Representing Yourself
Conceptually, Justice has to be second only to Love as a perfect state. There is nothing greater and grander in any society than the idea of honouring what is right. If we did not have Justice, we might just as well throw in the towel on civilisation and all go back to cave dwelling.
If you are thinking about representing yourself in court, the first thing you should consider is this: Do I believe in the idea of Justice? It may seem obvious that you do – you were the first to applaud when that Saddam Hussein statue came down on national TV – right? Okay, but real justice is not about opinion or revenge. It is about something bigger than that. It is about fairness – fairness in relation to fact and irrespective of any form of sentiment.
Self representation, if it is to be successful, demands that you put aside your own opinions and feelings and concentrate on realities. If you cannot do this, you may lose your case simply because the other party or a court judge will see the bias of your argument. If, on the other hand, you can present your corner with conviction based on fact, logic free from sentiment and of course the evidence to support it, then there is no reason why you should not succeed.
Often the only thing that stops us from representing ourselves is fear. Fear of getting it wrong, fear of missing a point of law, fear even of standing up for ourselves. To get over fear, you need to arm yourself with the right tools. You need to be convinced about your position and you need to be able to support it in order to convince others.
There are also other details to think about. You need to know the basics about court procedure. But this is easily rectified. At each stage, a telephone call to court is a good start. Tell them that you are representing yourself and that you need information on procedure. They will usually recommend a source of information or put you through to someone. You can also telephone your local citizen’s advice bureau. On the down side, be aware that you will be putting yourself under stress by going it alone (although at least you will not have the stress of large legal bills), and you will be running a greater risk than if you did use a legal firm. Most judges are helpful towards parties who represent themselves in court, and will make an effort to see that you understand what is being said. Ask as many questions as you need to. This is no time to be shy.
