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Monday, March 23, 2009

Ind. Courts - "Court addresses increase in people representing themselves"

Marisa Kwiatkowski reports today in the NWI Times:

CROWN POINT | Lake Circuit Court Judge Lorenzo Arredondo said the increasing number of people representing themselves in court is not just economics.

The availability of legal forms on the Internet, a downtrodden economy and increasing education level of residents have all fueled an increase in self-representation in court cases.

"You have people who say, 'I have a master's degree. I'm not going to pay a lawyer to fill out forms,'" Arredondo said.

The Indiana Supreme Court's Division of State Court Administration recognizes the increase in pro se litigants and created an informational video for people who'd like to go it alone in family law cases. [See ILB entry from Nov. 25, 2008]

The video is divided into short segments detailing responsibilities, how to prepare for court and stages of a case. * * *

Lake Superior Court Judge Calvin Hawkins said most protection orders are handled without an attorney. Defendants in collection cases also often are pro se, he added.

Arredondo said he sees people represent themselves for name changes, protection orders and divorce cases that involve no assets and no children.

He cautioned litigants against defending themselves in more complex cases.

The ILB has had a number of other entries on pro se representation. Here is an entry from Nov. 28, 2008, headed "Pro Se Litigants: On the Rise and Mucking Things Up."

This ILB entry from July 22, 2008 is headed "Ohio Judges See More Do-It-Yourself Divorces and System Slowdown ." It was updated on Aug. 12th, 2008.

See also this Dec. 24, 2007 entry, quoting an Indianapolis Star story headed "Dress code suit costs couple $40,931.50: Anderson plaintiffs' predicament illustrates the risks of being your own lawyer."

Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 23, 2009 09:57 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts