I get that question fairly often. The most recent was a couple of weeks ago when a young college student came into my office in Hattiesburg. I told him what you probably expect me to say, “Yes, you need a lawyer.” Now, I know there’s some of you who will say that my answer is motivated solely by money, but that’s not true. It’s based on my own experience. (I’m using divorce as an example here, but this advice is true regardless of the legal issues faced)
Two days after graduating from law school, my (then) wife told me that she wanted a divorce. Being someone who not only had just graduated law school, but who, in his last year of law school, had taken Domestic Relations, I felt I was smart enough to handle this myself. And you know what, I was smart enough. The problem was, I was emotionally involved in the case.
As I have posted before, when you’re going through a divorce, you need the advice of someone who’s not emotionally connected with your case. I made a lot of stupid mistakes because I was hoping for a reconciliation. I gave in to demands I shouldn’t have.
For your average person, there’s another potential “trap.” The legal system can be complex, and if you make a mistake it can cost you literally and figuratively. For example, in Mississippi, the venue (where you file the case) of a divorce is also jurisdictional. If you file the divorce in the wrong county, the court may dismiss the case, and you would have to file again in the correct county. (And no, the court shouldn’t tell you where to file because that’s giving legal advice). That means you have to pay another filing fee, increasing the cost of the divorce.
To wrap this up, I want to remind you of two saying. The first is that the person who represents himself in court has a fool for a client. The second is, a fool and his money are soon parted. Represent yourself, and it may cost you.
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