IWTL the basic legal principles needed to defend oneself in court

I am a lawyer. You need to get a lawyer if you are facing a legal issue. Even after three years of law school, most folks aren’t ready to handle a case on their own, criminal or otherwise.

But if you are going to start to brush up, you’re going to need to research like a lawyer. Most law libraries will have the entire statutory code for your state. Figure out what exactly your case is about. Is it a contract dispute? Divorce/custody proceeding? Criminal? Use the headers inside the index (usually the first book in the code set). Find the topic, and then find that book. Use it’s table of contents accordingly to figure out what statute is at issue. (If it’s common law, you’ll have to find the regional reporter).

Even better, if you know what the case or what issue you are litigating,find legal treatises that explain the law. Books from the ALR will sort topics by state and issue.

*But in all seriousness, do not walk into a courtroom after a cursory reading of dust old code books. It’s not just the law you have to understand. You have to know filing deadlines. Fees. When a judge calendars his cases. When you must appear. How to present and admit evidence. How to rebut evidence. Any one of these things will kill your case if you do it incorrectly. All of which take preparation for a state administered Bar examination and years of practice with minimum competency. *

/r/IWantToLearn Thread