A Young Lawyer's Guide To Litigating Adverse Self-Represented Litigants (As Published By CLIA)

There is a strange comfort knowing that an opposing party is represented by counsel. Two legal practitioners are both familiar with the rules of civil procedure, and while they take opposed positions on the merits of the litigation, typically, they both have an interest in efficiently guiding their respective clients through the civil litigation process.

While this likely paints a much too rosy picture of litigating opposite counsel, there is no doubt that self-represented litigants ("SRL") can pose challenges for inexperienced lawyers. SRL's are often unfamiliar with the rules of civil procedure and, intentionally or unintentionally, this can mean that SRL test the rules in novel or unconventional ways. Things can go off the rails, and costs can quickly balloon for your client if you're not prepared.