- You cannot afford to hire a competent attorney. If there is no way you can come up with the money to hire someone who can do a good job for you, then representing yourself is better than hiring someone who is not competent. No lawyer is better than a bad lawyer because the judge may go easy on you if you represent yourself.
- You cannot find an attorney you trust. Confidence is the key to a positive and productive and attorney-client relationship. A dishonest attorney is also worse than having no attorney at all.
- The opposing party is not represented. If the opposing appears pro se, then it may not be necessary for you to hire an attorney. However, hiring a good attorney in this instance may give you a significant advantage.
- There is no real issue in dispute. If you were served with divorce papers and you don’t care if the divorce goes through and there are no issues of alimony, custody or property division then there may be no need to hire an attorney. In cases like this, you should consult with an attorney just to make sure you are aware of what’s at stake if you represent yourself.
- You feel confident that you can represent yourself. If it is a simple case and you have a legal background or you have had experience appearing in court then it may make sense for you to represent yourself.
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