|
Legal
acumen crucial for court
by
Season Weeter
reporter
An astonishing average
of 80 percent of parties filing petitions in court across
the United States are representing themselves pro se
with less than 10 percent of pro se parties actually
winning their cases.
I was involved in such an experience when
a judge asked me if I expected her to treat me differently
from any attorney who came before her.
I told her no.
I won’t go into the heartbreaking details of this
tedious battle, but three of the six total parties involved
were pro se—and all lost all the way around.
It seems that the citizens who have money
and can afford attorneys are the ones who prevail in
court. After all, look at the O.J. Simpson trial.
Don’t get me wrong, though; the law is not a joke.
I suppose that it may take the average
person at least two years or more of reading the laws
and code of the states while using Black’s Law
Dictionary for reference to grasp and understand the
meaning in the words of law.
It’s no wonder lawyers spend eight to 10 years
in school!
Straightforward cases can sometimes be
handled with this assistance, but more complex and difficult
cases, involving many issues of matter, cannot.
The most important lesson to learn is people
need to take time to learn their rights.
The study of law should not focus on those
who have the financial backing to afford schooling in
this field. Curriculums should be implemented at the
public school level to provide for an understanding
of the law for all citizens.
This type of education could prove to be
useful in reducing criminal tendencies by improving
edification of our youth and implementing the reality
of consequence and ethics in everyday life at an earlier
age.
Before attempting to represent yourself
in court as a pro se party, research all options such
as Legal Aid of Northwest Texas, the Lena Pope Home,
Texas Wesleyan Law Clinic and Fathers for Equal Rights.
These places have resources to help with wills and bankruptcies
as well as civil cases such as divorce and custody of
children.
The most important solution, and easiest
to accomplish, is to exercise your constitutional rights
and become an active voter.
|