Why a Person Should Always Call a Lawyer When Going to Court

In many areas of the world, you are legally allowed to represent yourself in a court of law. While this might seem like a good way to save money on legal bills if you're being sued, this can often be a big mistake. Note a few reasons why a person should always call a lawyer when going to court for any reason.

1. You may not be able to present evidence as you assume

Consider an example: you may be facing a defamation lawsuit because of things you said about someone on social media. You may assume you can bring to court all your private conversations between you and that person and then show that they're a liar, immoral, and so on. However, a judge may not view those conversations as being viable evidence to back up your statements, and he or she may not be interested in going through long, private chats. An attorney can advise you on what may or may not be called evidence and what would stand up in a court of law in your defense.

2. You might not realize how the other side will argue their case

It's easy to assume that you can simply bring in certain evidence or tell your side of a particular story and that the judge or jury will believe you, but this isn't always how things work out in court. You may be overlooking that the other side will have a chance to argue against your evidence and statements.

For example, if you're being sued for defamation, the other side may argue that "no reasonable person" would agree with your statements or may show why they think you made your statements "in bad faith," and the judge may agree with them. If you don't know how to counter-argue a "bad faith" claim, you may very well lose your case. A lawyer will better know what to expect from the other party and how to counter-argue.

3. You may be assuming how the law works

Consider an example: you may be sued for copyright infringement because you assume that copyright laws only apply to works currently being distributed for profit. However, even if a book is out of print, the copyright may still very well be valid and you may be misinterpreting the law or not understanding how it works. Rather than make these assumptions, it's best to have an attorney who knows the law and how it's applied represent you in any case.