Comments on: Competent enough to represent yourself? http://blogs.mddailyrecord.com/ontherecord/2008/03/27/competent-enough-to-represent-yourself/ Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:38:34 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Michael http://blogs.mddailyrecord.com/ontherecord/2008/03/27/competent-enough-to-represent-yourself/#comment-2857 Michael Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:01:39 +0000 http://blogs.mddailyrecord.com/ontherecord/2008/03/27/competent-enough-to-represent-yourself/#comment-2857 I represented an elderly veteran with severe mental and physical issues in a motion for a new trial in a case where the presiding judge of the Los Angeles Superior Criminal court granted the defendant's request to proceed pro se. The trial transcript was filled with the same issues that you noted plus the fact that he was facing a third strike that could have put him away for life. Needless to say he lost the trial and I lost the motion, but the judge made my argument for me (I hope he won on appeal) when in response to the defendant's comment, that "Your Honor, I'm not, I'm not capable of representing myself," the judge said "I have said that, and urged you not to represent yourself." Not sure what the answer is, only that a person who chooses to represent himself has a fool for a client. I represented an elderly veteran with severe mental and physical issues in a motion for a new trial in a case where the presiding judge of the Los Angeles Superior Criminal court granted the defendant’s request to proceed pro se. The trial transcript was filled with the same issues that you noted plus the fact that he was facing a third strike that could have put him away for life. Needless to say he lost the trial and I lost the motion, but the judge made my argument for me (I hope he won on appeal) when in response to the defendant’s comment, that “Your Honor, I’m not, I’m not capable of representing myself,” the judge said “I have said that, and urged you not to represent yourself.”

Not sure what the answer is, only that a person who chooses to represent himself has a fool for a client.

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