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Notable Blog Posts For Pro Se Litigants — The 2020 Edition

No doubt, 2020 has been a roller coaster. But, it doesn’t do this year justice to merely state that there have been challenges. From the pandemic to widespread protests and a contested election, 2020 has offered almost an overabundance of “interesting” things. Fortunately, we have tried to keep you up to date along the way with blog posts that discuss pertinent legal issues. If you find yourself here at the end of the year, take the time to review some of our most notable blog posts for the year 2020.

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.

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Can I Sue For That? Yes, No, Maybe

“Can I sue for that?” is one of the most popular legal questions ever. But the real question is, “Should I sue for that”? Because of the time and costs involved, most people don’t sue for minor losses. But if you suffered significant damages and feel you have a case, it might be beneficial to sue. To give your case a fighting chance though, you’re gonna need elements and a tight complaint. Without those, I wouldn’t sue if I were you.

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.

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What To Do If The Defendant Doesn’t Respond To The Complaint

Launching a legal case takes time and effort. You must gather facts, write the complaint, and properly serve the defendant. And if you happen to get a default judgment, you don’t want it easily snatched away from you. 

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.

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Making A Federal Case Of Your Workplace Discrimination Claim

Workplace discrimination is common, but few people make a federal case out of it. Most would rather ignore it or find another job than sue, especially without a lawyer. Yet, workplace discrimination is a serious matter deserving of the attention of a legal process. So, if you’re the victim of workplace discrimination, don’t have a lawyer, and feel your state courts won’t do your claim justice, take it to federal court yourself.

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.

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Who Me? Launching The Right Civil Defense

You’ve been served with a complaint. What defense should you launch? A common approach is to argue that the plaintiff’s allegations are untrue. That’s an ordinary defense. “I didn’t do it.” But you can also argue that you should not have to pay damages even if the facts in the complaint are true. Kinda like a “So what?” That’s an affirmative defense. In litigation, it pays to know the difference between an ordinary defense and an affirmative defense because they are each handled differently by the court.

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.

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Are You At Risk of Engaging In Frivolous Litigation?

You’re expected to be engaged in frivolous litigation when you show up in court without a lawyer, especially when you’re the defendant. If you’ve ever read the small print on the back of a traffic or parking ticket, you’ve had to weigh the cost of the ticket against the cost of fighting it. I’ve seen threats of court costs as high as $500. That’s the bullying tactic cities use to force folks to pay up – guilty or not – because the courts assume your defense is frivolous.

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.

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Writing a Trial Notebook to Self-Represent

Most civil cases never make it to trial. The parties might settle. One party might drop out along the way and get a judgment against him. Others may simply not show up at all. For self-represented litigants, a defeat usually comes early in the case. Quite often, we don’t show up at all. So, if you’re pro se, and you’re going to trial, congratulations. You’ve jumped a lot of hurdles to make it here.
So now, let’s get to that trial notebook.

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.

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Defending Yourself In A Debt Collection Case

At a time when so many businesses have ground to a halt due to COVID-19, you can expect mounds of debt and a plethora of debt collectors looking to get paid when all of it is “over”. We all know that it will be some time before the economy fully recovers from the pandemic – if it ever does. Yet, that won’t stop companies like Capital One and others from continuing their practice of regularly taking their customers to court. When they come, be ready for them.

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.

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Anne Leduc: I Am Not A Lawyer

In this episode of I Am Not A Lawyer, the Courtroom5 podcast, Anne Leduc shares her experience fighting a harassment and discrimination claim filed by a former employee of her small business. Representing yourself is difficult even when you’re at your best, but it gets really tough when you’re also fighting a life-threatening illness. Anne Leduc has done that at Courtroom5.

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.

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#BlackLivesMatter = #DefundThePolice

For Black lives to matter in the United States, we must defund the police. These are two sides of the same coin. For centuries, police forces have been used to wage war on Black communities, one capture of a runaway slave and one traffic stop at a time. It’s systemic. It’s institutional. It must come to an end.

And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.