Many people choose to represent themselves out of arrogance. “I’m smart. Why should I hire a lawyer?” No matter how brilliant you are, your ignorance of the law will be obvious to anyone who works in the legal profession. (For an example, see my post Appeals Court Rejects “Rambling” and “Confusing” Complaint Filed by Harvard Doctor.) You should keep this in mind as you handle your legal matters and show at least a touch of humility when dealing with lawyers, clerks, and judges.
As a current Pro Se plaintiff who filed his first civil action [21 Counts] against one of Massachusetts largest employers, it is a humbling process which requires you to invest many hours reading and understanding Court procedures, forms and the law.
But there are great resources available such as the Law Libraries (both in person and by email), Massachusetts Bar Association’s Program: Superior Court Lawyer For The Day (LegalSquirrel@legalsquirrel.com) (Thursdays but appointments can be scheduled a month or more out, read MCLE and buy books from Amazon on the type of litigation you are involved in, etc…
Luck plays a role also. I have had several instances where I made a misstep but the company or defense attorney made a bigger mistake which was to my benefit.
Google AI for probing scenarios or situations.
You can also pump paragraph of your complaint into AI and get suggested rewrites of it which are more concise and impactful.
Lastly, I am acting Pro Se out of necessity. I spoke with a number of attorneys but none would take it on a contingency basis.
The best advice I got was from one of Gerry Spence’s books; A legal case is WAR. Go for every advantage possible, the other side will be!
FYI, the defense attorney in my case is a Roger Williams law school grad…..