Courtroom5 has been selected as one of 10 startups in the 2020 Techstars Kansas City Accelerator, a mentor-based program for startups. This year, the three-month program runs from June 1st until August 27th. The 10 chosen companies come from across the U.S. and around the world, and hail from a diversity of industries, including food, health, legal, prosthetics, and music.
Hearsay Doesn’t Count—Until It Does
In a nutshell, hearsay is “he said, she said” testimony. It is second hand information during a court proceeding that courts don’t allow. That’s the level on which most people understand it.
But when you’re a pro se litigant in the thick of a case, and the attorney for the other side uses hearsay testimony against you, that’s a whole new world. How can that lawyer get away with it when everyone knows hearsay is not allowed? Outrageous. Yes and no.
There are hearsay exceptions.
And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.
Alert! The Request For Admissions Can Kill Your Case
When you reach the discovery stage of your case, the fun is just beginning. Now you get to evaluate your opponent’s evidence. Watch out for landmines though, like unanswered requests for admissions.
And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.
What Is The Burden Of Proof In A Civil Case?
Evidence is the beating heart of any legal case, whether civil or criminal. It can pump life-giving blood into a legal argument or be anemic and fail in its purpose. The burden of proof determines whether evidence feeds an argument or starves it. To prepare for court, self-represented litigants must assemble evidence that can bear the weight of their claims or defenses.
And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.
Preparing For An Evidentiary Hearing
An evidentiary hearing is an opportunity to introduce crucial evidence or question evidence produced by the opposition. As a self-represented litigant, you should conceive of an evidentiary hearing as an athletic semi-final. This hearing could send your best facts to the playoffs and potentially produce a win.
And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.
Debra Slone: I Am Not A Lawyer
In this episode of I Am Not A Lawyer, the Courtroom5 podcast, our co-founder Debra Slone shares her transformation from college professor to founder of a tech startup serving pro se litigants. Debra learned the ropes of civil justice by winning and losing in court many times. Then she decided to use her knowledge of information science to train other pro se litigants at Courtroom5. When there’s something you need to know, ask a librarian.
And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.
The Supreme Court Delivers Step For Justice, Stumble For Crackheads
The U.S. Supreme Court handed a narrow victory to justice in the case of Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc. In 2015, Georgia sued watchdog group Public.Resource.Org for copyright infringement after it refused to pull the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA) from its free website. It had been charging hundreds of dollars for access to OCGA. No more. The Supreme Court ruled that the OCGA annotations are ineligible for copyright protection because “no one can own the law”.
And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.
“Turning Over The Keys Is My Best Foreclosure Option” And Other Litigation Myths
Myths and uncertainty about the litigation process can be detrimental to parties involved in a lawsuit, especially those representing themselves. Reliance on myths, in fact, can lead to wasted time, avoidable losses and other headaches. The best cure for uncertainty is information, and the best cure for myths is truth. So, here is my list of myths that self-represented litigants should be aware of and the truths that dispel them.
And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.
Courtroom5 Founder Sonja Ebron Appears on LegalTechLIVE
When co-founder Sonja Ebron recently interviewed with LegalTechLIVE’s Nick Rishwain, she didn’t pull any punches. She has an engineering background and founded two previous startups. But Sonja learned civil litigation the hard way, by self-representation. Here are highlights of the interview about Courtroom5’s case management platform that makes self-representation more effective for everyone.
And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.
What To Do When Your Lawyer Has A Drinking Problem
Most lawyers can take what might be an unpleasant and uncomfortable experience for you, and with enough money, make the unpleasantness and discomfort go away. Then, there are those who have stumbled into your worst nightmare. They cannot handle your case because of personal demons in the form of alcohol or substance abuse. Here is a look at substance abuse in the legal profession, how it might affect your case, and how you can handle it.
And if you need help representing yourself in civil court, it’s time to join Courtroom5.
