5. Suing the Wrong Entity or Person One of the most common and biggest mistakes that can happen when you represent yourself is suing the wrong entity or person. It happens all the time, and it’s usually due to the lack of knowledge around court laws. See, if you are trying to sue “Joe Smith,” chances are that is not his full name. It’s possible that it’s “Joseph Bryan Smith” or maybe “Joe L. Smith.” These are just examples, but it’s just to show you that the full legal name needs to be present in order for a judgment to be enforced. However, if you are trying to sue a store like “Flowers R Us,” there may be a entity behind them like 123456 Ontario, Inc. If you don’t sue the entity then it’s very possible that you won’t get a judgment against them. When you have a licensed paralegal they will make all the necessary searches to make sure the proper legal name is present on the document and you are suing the right person or entity.

4. Self represented parties always include too much information or not enough information in their claim or defence! This comes with a lack of understanding for what the court needs to see in your legal documents, and what they do not need to see (or do not want to see). Most self-represented parties often include far too much detail in their narrative. We often see a four or five page description of the events surrounding a case, which is not only far too much information, but can be extremely frustrating for the judge (who we try not to irritate, especially at the outset of the case). On the other hand, self-represented parties also leave out pertinent details of the narrative. For example, when suing for a breach of contract, a self-represented party often goes in to great detail about how much they have paid to the other party and when they made each payment, however; they often leave out the most important detail of all – that being, the original agreed upon amount of the contract. A licensed paralegal will have the knowledge and skill set to narrow down the issues and present your case clearly and effectively to the judge. Part of our strategy is to draft effective pleadings to convince the judge of why you should win your case, even before appearing in a courtroom!

3. Self Representers don’t know the Law. Do you realize how hard it is for an individual who represents him or herself to take on an individual who has studied the law for years? It’s like challenging Beethoven to play one of his favorite pieces. Plus, prosecuting attorneys love to throw rules and regulations your way when you aren’t aware of them. One of the most important things you can have when it comes to a courtroom is the knowledge of legal arguments. If you don’t know how to overcome objections you could end up with a losing judgment. Licensed paralegals know and understand how to argue a case accordingly. They can also provide the proper context that needs to be utilized throughout the trial. In fact, they will even notify the parties in advance about the arguments that will come to light. It gives you all the rights you deserve and will remedy the situation must better.

2. Representing Yourself may mean you don’t know the Rules of Small Claims Court. Do you really know how many rules that come into play in a small claims court? There are several, and you have to consider all the other parts such as; forms, service, timelines, evidence, and tons of other variables. It’s an overwhelming process and we haven’t even started the trial yet. When you represent yourself it’s a hundred times worse, especially if you don’t understand everything. Take for instance the 30 day deadline to provide documents to the other party’s attorney. Those who aren’t aware of this deadline and miss it will have all kinds of issues during the proceedings. Anything that isn’t turned in accordingly could be inadmissible in court. One of those documents or pieces of evidence could be the difference in whether you win or lose. Then of course it could also cause delays if the judge does let them into the trial. This gives time for the other attorney to go over the information. Once you utilize a licensed paralegal you will notice that they are much more fluent in the rules of a small claims court. This alone can provide you with a much better decision, and hopefully one that is in your favor.

1. A self-represented party is SELF-REPRESENTED!!! The number one mistake made by self-represented parties is that they are SELF-REPRESENTED! Law is a knowledge intensive field born out of education and experience. A self-represented party is simply not equipped to handle all of the rules, the law, and the twists and turns that accompany litigation. Many self-represented parties feel as though they can just appear in court, tell the truth, and win by virtue of being honest. That is NOT the way things work in the courtroom. Did you know that you can represent yourself at all levels of court, not just the Small Claims Court? People automatically think that Small Claims Court is “easy” since you can represent yourself. Not so. There are rules to be complied with, there are laws that protect the other party that you may not be aware of and may not know that rebuttal arguments to, and of course, the other party may be represented by a paralegal or a lawyer who will simply out argue a self-represented party. We have many clients come to us after having attempted to represent themselves only come to realize that they made one of the mistakes listed in this article. It may end up costing you more to correct a problem that is created by your ambition to represent yourself, rather than to hire a paralegal to do it properly from the start.

Before you hire a lawyer, make sure you check Melissa Weber website, she is aparalegal toronto that specializes in the GTA area