Hire a Lawyer or Represent Yourself? Consider the Statistics.

In all cases, you have the right to represent yourself, but having the right doesn’t mean it’s the best option. One factor that highlights this is the success rate between those who represent themselves (called “pro se”, “unrepresented” or “self-represented”) and those who hire a lawyer (called “represented”).

While there is no nationwide data showing how many people go “pro se” and their success rates, there are pockets of data about this for specific states, courts, and areas of law. The main takeaway: self-represented individuals fare much worse than similar individuals who are represented by lawyers.

Here is a roundup of some of that data. This is a repost from Lawgood’s blog at www.blog.lawgood.io:

Is it better to hire a lawyer or represent yourself? Consider these statistics to decide what is the best option for you.