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A Fool for a Client

 "They say a man who represents himself has a fool for a client. Well, with God as my witness, I am that fool!"note Cut to Gomez losing his case.
— Gomez Addams, The Addams Family


A person who represents themselves in court without the assistance of an attorney, whether as the defendant or the plaintiff, and whether or not the issue before the court is criminal or civil, is said to be operating pro se (a Latin phrase meaning "for oneself"). In the United States, at least, the right of a member of the public to represent themselves predates the existence of the U.S. Constitution, and it is generally considered a part of the protected right to seek a redress of grievances.

In general, most legal professionals consider a person going to court without the aid of an attorney to be a really bad idea, even when the litigant is an attorney themselves. Not all attorneys are versed in all forms of law; how many alleged murderers does the average tax lawyer defend in their lifetime, after all? Furthermore, even if said attorney is an expert in that precise field of law, being that close to the matter at hand is a great way to lose sight of the big picture. There is a reason why the adage in full often reads as some variation of "The man who represents himself has a fool for a client and an ass for an attorney."


But of course, something being a really bad idea has never stopped anyone before, even when the charge is only a parking violation.

Almost always lampshaded by someone asking the character if he is aware of the adage. Naturally this appears quite often in Courtroom Drama. In comedies, the pro se character often engages in Courtroom Antics that would get him thrown into jail in Real Life, but because it is Played for Laughs, the character will often get away with itnote A bit of Truth In Television here, as judges are usually more tolerant of irregularities from those who are appearing pro se and don't know the rules than they would be of an attorney, who should presumably know better; though it's still possible to take it way too far, and repeatedly engaging in behavior you've been warned against WILL get you jailed for contempt. Often involves Holding Both Sides of the Conversation when the character cross-examines himself. And it is almost guaranteed that, in response to the judge telling the character that he is "out of order", the character will yell back at the judge, "No, you're out of order!" because apparently a lot of comedy writers are also Al Pacino fans.


It may happen when The Main Characters Do Everything, as this trope saves the need to create a new lawyer character.

See also Informed Self-Diagnosis, the equivalent trope for medical doctors. Compare The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes.






