Answer

When you act pro se (on your own) this is the drawback, you are held to the same standards as an attorney and if you make a mistake you are held liable for it. Since you acted on your own, you cannot argue that you had ineffective assistance of counsel because you were your own counsel (unless you can prove you were mentally incompetent). This is a prime example why people should not handle their own matters, even though they have a right to do so. I have seen it too many times where people insist on representing themselves and end up making errors that are fatal to an otherwise good case and there is very little you will be able to do to correct it. You should hire an attorney for a supreme court appeal, but the attorney would have to argue the other errors not the ones you made.

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Expert:	PaulMJD
Pos. Feedback:	99.5 %
Accepts:
Answered:	1/2/2009

Attorney

20+ Years of Employment Law Experience