Legal self-representation in any legal matter without the assistance of a legal counsel is known as acting "Pro Se", which actually means "on one's own behalf". It may apply in the following scenarios: court proceedings, when creating a last will, filing a deed, handling one’s divorce and filing for bankruptcy (The Standard Legal Network).
Herman Webster Mudgett infamously known as Dr. Henry Howard Holmes was a serial killer who entered a plea to defend himself and Judge Arnold granted the request. Holmes had built a three-story "Castle “which he used as a lure for his murder victims, visiting the 1893 Chicago World's fair. He was a beneficiary of the premiums he had paid on the life insurance policies of his female employees’ murder victims. He would kill the visitors and craft them into skeleton models which he sold to medical schools with ease. In 1895, Holmes was arrested when an insurance company found out that he had insured Benjamin Tetzel for $10,000 and had murdered him through administration of chloroform, to fake suicide. He had gone ahead to collect on the policy (Pawlak, 2000).
The Philadelphia Inquirer reporter described Holmes's performance in court as vigorous and remarkable. He was very polite to the judge but nasty to the prosecutor. He requested for the analysis of the liquid that he was accused of supposedly using to poison Pitzel’s children, but the District Attorney did not have it in his possession. He wanted the most recent toxicology work and falsely claimed that, as a doctor, he could analyze it (Ramsland, 2013).
Holmes often diverted the questioning and constantly quarreled with the prosecutor. He did not appear remorseful even after the gruesome description of Pitezal's corpse. As much as he handled his questioning in a professional manner, he failed to bring out any points to prove his innocence (Ramsland, 2013).
Holmes's protested that he was feeling unwell when the judge ordered an evening session with him. It was apparent that he had failed to establish the facts of his case and thus had no time to prepare for another renewed go. At this point, Holmes requested the court to allow his two defense attorneys to represent him in the case. At last, the jury found Holmes guilty and sentenced him to hanging (Ramsland, 2013).
As much as he now had competent counsel, he had probably ruined his case. By the end of the first day, Holmes was fatigued and his loss of confidence and inability to shake the strongest witnesses was evident. He even tried to change his lover’s mind against testifying about his character on the day that Pitzel was allegedly murdered.
Self-legal representation can still be a success if one is conversant with the appropriate legal documents and forms and instructions on how to complete them. This could help one to cut down on the cost of hiring a lawyer and also, one is in a position to best address his situation. However, in cases where there are intensive litigation and court proceedings, for example in the case of medical malpractice, it is always advisable to hire a lawyer (The Standard Legal Network).
References
The Standard Legal Network, LLC. Pro se legal self representation. The Standard Legal law library. http://www.standardlegal.com/law-library/pro-se-legal-self-representation.html
Ramsland, K. 2013. Defending oneself in court. Crime Library on truTV.com. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/criminal_mind/psychology/defending_oneself/6.html
Pawlak, D. 2000. The strange life of H.H. Holmes. American Gothic. http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/history_articles/holmes.htm
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