Advantages And Disadvantages To Defending Yourself In Court
Do you really want to defend yourself in court? Before you decide to defend yourself in court, you should think twice. Consider the consequences of losing. If a judgment against you could result in the loss of a significant percentage of your net worth, it would be advisable not to defend yourself in court. Similarly if you could go to jail upon the loss of your case you may not be in the best position to defend yourself in court either. Remember you'll most likely be going against a skilled and experienced prosecuting attorney or an attorney hired by your adversary. These lawyers have spent years acquiring the knowledge and skill necessary to prosecute and defend clients in court. To defend yourself in court when the cards are stacked so strongly against you is not wise in most cases. But there certainly are instances where it's OK to defend yourself in court. Consider the case of a minor traffic ticket where the worst that can happen is that you'll be assessed a small fine of $100 or less. In this case, the cost of hiring an attorney would cost more than losing the case. This is a good example of a situation where it might be in your best interests to defend yourself in court. But still before you decide to pull your best Perry Mason imitation, you should do your homework to at least understand how the court works. Judges are human and if you annoy them by not following their established procedures, your chances of winning are even smaller. There are books available that will teach in more detail than this article how to prepare to defend yourself in court but we'll do the best we can in the limited space provided here. Besides understanding and following the courts procedures, you'll need to review the traffic citation you were given and read the statute that applies to your case. Perhaps upon carefully reading the statute you'll discover that you really are guilty. If not, then you should prepare and rehearse your case for how your actions were clearly not in violation of the law. Write the salient points down on a piece of paper and go over them. Present your case to a friend or family member or at least in front of a mirror. It's important that you do some liver rehearsal before your day in court so you don't come unglued in front of the judge. You'll also want to do your best to anticipate any follow-up questions the judge might answer because if you don't have a quick answer you appear to be guilty no matter if you really are guilty or not. Be respectful of the judge to. It's not going to do any good to scream at the judge. You'll likely come across as a disrespectful whiner and more importantly a guilty traffic offender. If you follow the steps outlined, you'll have good chance of successfully defending yourself in court. |
