Your ex knows how to upset you. He or she may start pushing your buttons in court to cloud your judgment, because then you respond with anger, and the emotions work against you. What can you do to combat this?
My wife uses the phrase, “poke the beast.” When I’m in a bad mood and holding back my rage, and then my son starts needling me, my wife says to him, “Thomas, don’t poke the beast.”
The cold hard truth is that if you’re going to court alone and the other side has a lawyer, you’re at a serious disadvantage. Statistics show that the odds are stacked against you and the side with an attorney has a better chance of winning. What can you do to improve your chances and even up the odds? The best way to improve your chances in court is to prepare.
If you can’t afford a lawyer, you’re not alone. The vast majority of people in family court can’t either, and don’t have lawyers – they go it alone. Depending upon where you live or who you ask, the number of self reps can range anywhere from two-thirds to 90 percent. The first thing to ask yourself before you decide to go without you, is will it hurt you? Can you do it?
You hurt yourself and began receiving compensation. You saw your employer’s doctor and soon after that, you received a letter to go back to work to a modified job within your restrictions. You don’t think you can do it, and your doctor agrees with you, and gives you a note to stay out of work. What should you do?
This scenario plays out in court throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania all the time. No one should go through this without a workers’ compensation lawyer. The consequences of the choices you make can be so dramatic in this instance, you need as much information as you can get. There’s no way you should make the decision without knowing your legal rights.
