If you get into an accident, the first question that might come to your mind is if you need an accident lawyer? If you are injured, this is not a do it yourself situation. A common mistaken belief is that you must have an attorney for any lawsuit. It simply isn’t true. You can file a lawsuit or defend one “in pro per”, which is a Latin phrase essentially meaning you are representing yourself.

The question, of course, is whether you should represent yourself. The answer in most situations is that you should not. There are simply far too many downsides to doing so and very few upsides. Consider the following.

Let’s assume you are hurt in an accident and the defendant has insurance. Why, you can just deal with his insurance company directly regarding your injuries, right? The insurance company certainly hopes so! In such a situation, the insurance company is going to roll over you like Godzilla versus Bambi. You’ll be luck to get anywhere near what you should. With a lawyer, the insurance company will be more realistic regarding its settlement options.

Ah, but what about taking the case to trial. I would really encourage you not to do this on your own. There are a wide variety of procedures and rules that must be followed in court and you don’t know them even if you do watch a lot of law and order. For instance, what are the rules of evidence? What is hearsay and what are the 27 exceptions to the rule of hearsay including the subsections of each exception? Unless you have spent a year learning the rules of evidence in law school, you are making a mistake walking into court without an attorney representing you.

By: Aazdak Alisimo