Courtroom5

Be Your Own Lawyer

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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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Damages In A Civil Case

You’ve been injured in some way – loss of a job, an illegal foreclosure, a car wreck – and you’re going to sue for money damages. You could lose even with a judgment in your favor if you get the damages wrong. Learn to plead your damages properly.

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

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“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.

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What Won’t You Do To Fight Eviction In A Pandemic?

Visit your local eviction court to see the judicial system chew people up and spit them out. It’s a battle between property owners and those who can’t afford shelter. No legal knowledge or training is needed to see the essential injustice in this process. But the rules of an unjust system are made to be broken.

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

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What To Do When You’ve Been Sued

You’ll likely fall back on your TV knowledge the first time you get sued. It won’t be long before you realize you’re out of your depth. You’ll feel confused, overwhelmed and desperate. But once you get your emotions under control, there are really only three things you need to do.

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

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Legal Case Management For Self-Representation

Courtroom5 has developed a set of tools to ease the fear and drudgery of going to court without a lawyer. The Courtroom5 Toolset is designed instead to help self-represented litigants be more knowledgeable, organized, and effective in court. Check it out.

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

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How To Analyze A Civil Case And Craft A Litigation Strategy, Part 2

Earlier, we outlined a recipe for analyzing a case and creating a litigation strategy. The right litigation strategy can help a pro se litigant choose the next step in a case. In this second part, we use a simple slip and fall scenario to test the recipe. Thinking through your own scenario from beginning to end can be the start of a successful experience in court.

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Letting Your Opposing Counsel Know It’s The Other Way

Lawyers opposing pro se litigants want it to be one way, but sometimes it’s the other way. Few things warm our hearts more than seeing pro se litigants handle bullying tactics from opposing counsel. A Courtroom5 member shared her experience of being bullied by her opponent’s lawyer. The clapback was strong. She made sure he won’t do it again, at least not to her.

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Mandalay Bay Sues Shooting Victims To Make Them Stop Suing

When a gunman fired hundreds of rounds at festival attendees outside the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas, every lawyer in the country knew negligence and lax security would be key elements of any class action lawsuit. With hundreds of state lawsuits pending, the owner of both the hotel and the festival venue has sued more than 1000 victims in federal court to avoid liability for the attack. And because the law is not about justice, they just might win.