Choose your lawyer

Just as when you’re sick you go to a doctor, when you have a legal problem you go to a lawyer. Like medicine, law is complex and constantly changing and evolving as new laws are written and current laws are rewritten. Lawyers, like doctors, spend several years in school studying the law, and are required to continue their education beyond the classroom and throughout their career.

The internet has made access to legal information readily available to anyone and, while it can be a great resource for individuals seeking to education themselves on a legal matter, but it’s no substitute for the advice and guidance of a licensed attorney. Still, more and more people – in an attempt to save money – attempt to tackle their legal issues on their own.
While self-representation might work for some, handling a legal matter pro se (the official term for representing yourself) can result in costly mistakes and unfavorable outcomes, as these pro se filing statistics show.

• Coloradans who file pro se on divorce cases – 2 out of 3 must return to court due to clerical errors.
• Americans who file pro se on Chapter 13 bankruptcy – successfully file only about 2% of the time.
• Americans who file pro se when fighting the IRS – successfully win their cases 10% of the time, those who do have legal representation increase their chance of winning by two-and-a-half times.