Did You Ever Act as Your Own Attorney?

[Erich]

Yes.

My wife (also a lawyer) and I belonged to a nonprofit state employees commuter corporation that ran vans between cities about an hour apart. I think 12 of the 16 people on our van were lawyers.

The manager of the corporation got crosswise (for no good reason) with the administrator of our van. Who was not a lawyer. And, one Friday, he sent notice that she would have to give him the keys to the van the following Monday.

She freaked out. The lawyers kinda cracked up, because the corporation did not follow its own procedures. Nine of us met over the weekend and drafted a suit against the nonprofit corporation. I was one of the signatories and one of the eight drafters, and I think I actually paid to file the suit.

Monday a.m., we filed the suit and grabbed a judge to give us an emergency preliminary injunction allowing us to keep our van. We served the board of the corporation along with their manager. By 5 p.m., the manager had been fired and something like five of the seven board members had resigned.

We got to keep our van, and (as part of the settlement) I got my filing fee back.

It was a whole lot of fun.

Here's the thing, though: it wasn't serious - it was kind of a hoot. They were just clearly wrong, and who gives a hoot anyhow? If it were serious, I would never represent myself. Your judgment just isn't good. I've seen this many times.

 

[cmort666]

He's proud of what he did.

And I'll be proud when he's dead.

 

[shouldazagged]

And I'll be proud when he's dead.

I'll gladly second that.

 

[pharmer]

I got a ticket thrown out for my son about 8 years ago. Local (since terminated) hitler youth type grabbed my then 16 y/o son for not stopping for a stop sign. Sign was 10 yards inside an 8ft tall retaining wall. Cop was northbound son was eastbound. Photographed the area from a dozen angles, blew them up to 8"x10" and proved the cop could not have seen what he said he saw. Judge kept my photos ($3 each!). Joe

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

All I have to sell is my time. It costs the same whether I am defending you on a capital murder charge or cleaning out your car. You decide on the economics of whether it is worth it to hire a lawyer given the totality of the situation- risk of loss-amount of potential loss, etc. It boils down to pure econimics. Like flying vs driving. Is cost more critical to you than time saved or is the time saved worth the extra cost. Do I go to the doctor to get a stitch in the finger or do I stop in to the Walmart for a tube of super glue and do it myself. There ain't no mystery to practicing law-the reason I am better at it than most laymen is because I do it every day and know stuff that most people don't know. I can figure out something in 5 minutes that would take a lay person 2 days to figure out. Is it worth it to you to use me for a particular problem or not. If not-no hurt feelings here all the more power to you. But when you insist on having me in Court for 8 hours to contest a running the stop sign ticket because of the principal don't be upset when you get a bill for $2,000.00. I can't begin to tell you the times I send people to small claims court with a few instructions on how to proceed. Most of the time they can get through it. Another example. A client tried to do his own bill of sale for a piece of property. He drew up a three line "act of sale" got everyone to sign before a notary and somehow got it filed in the clerk's office. If he had been a real estate agent he would have known what form to use and could have done it without a lawyer, but because he wasn't I had to fix it. He had to pay the legal fee anyway, plus he got hit for anothe rfiling fee to file the corrected document.
I also can't begin to tell you how many times people get screwed over by others who KNOW that they can get away with it because they know that it won't be economical for the screwee to hire a lawyer (pretty much any claim under 3-4,000 falls into that category). The biggest problem is the individual lets his heart do the thinking for his brain and that's where you get intl tropble. As far as getting a lawyer to just "help" is like being just a little pregnant. The bar has repeatedly held (as has our liability insurance carriers) that it you give advice-you're in as far as your professional exposure is converned if the person relies on it regardless of whether you are officially "his lawyer" or just giving sideline advice which is why most lawyers will not serve as a consultant for what the thread poster would probably propose to pay. Either a lawyer is in or out. Sorry but that's just the way it is. Good news is that you can do it yourself.
Now, please excuse me as I am going to Home Depot to buy enough wire to re wire my entire house this weekend-think of all the money I am going to save by not hiring an electrician.

 

[shouldazagged]

I'll contact your fire department and have them cancel all time off.

 

[M3Stuart]

+1 Caje! I've been involved in dozens of corporate cases. I'd set the bar higher though - up around $10K, oh and at least a year of your life - if that matters to you at all.

In the OP's post, I would have negotiated with the neighbor/landowner who hired them and not the logging company cuz he would have been paid for the lumber and thus would have had the actual cash I was after.

 

[pharmer]

I can figure out something in 5 minutes that would take a lay person 2 days to figure out. Is it worth it to you to use me for a particular problem or not. If not-no hurt feelings here all the more power to you. But when you insist on having me in Court for 8 hours to contest a running the stop sign ticket because of the principal don't be upset when you get a bill for $2,000.00.

I'm not suggesting I would tackle anything more complicated than the aforementioned affair, in fact I wouldn't have plowed into this except "little hitler" was such an incredible tool. I would have rather shoved a pineapple where the sun don't shine but the law is the law. Joe

 

[Rule3]

I act as my own "attorney" every day. I have been married a long time!

It's my fault, I am guilty

 

[SW_shooter]

Yes I did once....when I was very young and full of it. Cost me $10k because I didn't know what I was doing and the other guy did and he "got one over on me" as they say. Only good news was I got a call from the IRS and after explaining my side they went after him for tax evasion and for gave my debt.

When I got divorced I used an attorney to file papers and listen to his lame advice. I ended up negotiating a settlement with the ex over steak dinner to save us both $. Our attorneys were turning it into a war and prolonging the ordeal. When I told the attorney the details and to draw up papers he got a little testy and said he thought I was crazy.

When a company I worked for as an independent contractor tried to railroad me out of $9k I found an attorney and he looked over the paperwork for only $50 fee. His advice, settle for $500 and move on. I live in TX the company was based in CO and of course the case would be heard up there. So travel, hotel, food, gas, etc was going to be expensive. I offered them the money, they accepted, we signed papers and I will never speak of them again (part of settlement I'm not allowed to disparage their character, operation or business name in public manner).

First experience taught me a lesson and so I will use or consult an attorney, BUT I firmly believe you have to give input and be aware of what is going on in your case. IE, know what your attorney is doing on your behalf.

 

[Old TexMex]

I just came from my lawyers office. I'm executing a will. Believe me, I needed a member of the sacred order of mumbo jumbo, I came closer than a gillette blue blade shave to stepping into an IRS trap.
Thank you, but no thanks this time around.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Yes I did once....when I was very young and full of it. Cost me $10k because I didn't know what I was doing and the other guy did and he "got one over on me" as they say. Only good news was I got a call from the IRS and after explaining my side they went after him for tax evasion and for gave my debt.

When I got divorced I used an attorney to file papers and listen to his lame advice. I ended up negotiating a settlement with the ex over steak dinner to save us both $. Our attorneys were turning it into a war and prolonging the ordeal. When I told the attorney the details and to draw up papers he got a little testy and said he thought I was crazy.

When a company I worked for as an independent contractor tried to railroad me out of $9k I found an attorney and he looked over the paperwork for only $50 fee. His advice, settle for $500 and move on. I live in TX the company was based in CO and of course the case would be heard up there. So travel, hotel, food, gas, etc was going to be expensive. I offered them the money, they accepted, we signed papers and I will never speak of them again (part of settlement I'm not allowed to disparage their character, operation or business name in public manner).

First experience taught me a lesson and so I will use or consult an attorney, BUT I firmly believe you have to give input and be aware of what is going on in your case. IE, know what your attorney is doing on your behalf.

Now you sir are the kind of client I wish I had a whole file drawer full of. Smart and knows how to use a lawyer.

 

[ladyT]

Yes to the OP's question. A couple of minor things. Being fully prepared usually means a good chance of victory,