There are a lot of occasions in our life when we have to hire an attorney. Prior to even examining the questions you might put to any legal| professional and before contracting for their assistance there's one question you'll want to ask yourself first-“Do I require an attorney?”
It is .sometimes possible that whatever difficulty you might be dealing with might be handled without the need for a lawyer and the levelheaded use of negotiation and good judgment will be able to solve the majority of disputes when your first thought would be to hit the phone book and search for a lawyer.
For example, a problem with a neighbor over a boundary fence, excessive noise or the countless conditions which arise once in a while with neighbors can be more effectively resolved by talking to your neighbor directly or through a third party such as a mediator.
Other situations that you could take up yourself include the small claims procedure in your state that is established to allow individuals to settle their disputes without the need for costly legal fees. Court staffs are normally quite supportive in answering any questions that you may have and can give you the correct forms to fill out and the proper procedure to follow.
A necessary factor you should consider before hiring an attorney is this: the lay litigant, that is the ordinary person without legal representation, in my experience, almost always gets a good deal from the court and the main reason for this is the premise on which our legal system was established.
Whenever you consider the justice system and its laws, a symbol you will always see are the scales of justice. They represent a leveling out of the rights of every person in any dispute on which the judge will pass judgment. Judges are very cognizant of the need to guarantee that when faced with a choice that they really are keeping those scales balanced. When a judge is faced with a lay litigant on the one hand and an experienced attorney on the other side of the dispute the judge will almost always make sure that the scales are well balanced by being very helpful and courteous to the lay litigant to make sure that his rights are not trampled on by a polished, experienced lawyer.
For this reason you can consider representing yourself in minor disputes and where the cost of hiring an attorney is exorbitant or where you might just be totally strapped for cash. However you should think long and hard before representing yourself because it could prove extremely costly in the end.
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