Do I need to hire an attorney?

Although legally you can represent yourself, in all seriousness, it is just not a good idea. You can hire our team, hire someone else, or apply for a court-appointed attorney if you financially qualify. Who you choose to have represent you is entirely up to you, but don't go to court without someone who knows what they are doing to help you.

Now I know you might view this answer with some suspicion, coming from a law firm and all, but we would give this same advice to every member of our families. Here’s why:

Let's pick on my littlest sister - she is now 35 years old and teaches elementary school - she is smart and articulate, but she is not familiar with the court system. I would not want my sister to go to court without a solid attorney helping her, because, frankly, this is a criminal case - if things go horribly wrong in court, she goes to jail that day.

And it's not because my little sister isn't intelligent and articulate - she is both. It is because I would not want her to be her own guinea pig in trying to navigate a criminal justice system that is not logical and seldom reasonable.

As a last thought or two on this - when I was a prosecutor I never took advantage of anyone who didn't have an attorney, but at the same time, I didn't go out of my way to do them any favors either. As I saw it, if he or she didn't have a lawyer, that meant to me that they didn't take the matter seriously.

It is not the judge's job or the prosecutor's job to help anyone charged with a crime - that is the role of the defense attorney, and if you don't have one a good one helping you, the reality is that you are at a serious disadvantage.