TRY YOUR OWN CASE

Marsh presents a lawyer’s guide to representing yourself in court.

The author, an award-winning Chicago-based trial lawyer who’s been in practice for 30 years, offers those seeking legal remedies (“Thousands of people are forced to go it alone if they want to assert their rights in court”) a guide to “pro se” representation (or self-representation) that outlines the possibilities and limitations of the approach. This dense but well-organized volume addresses the whys as well as the hows of pro se representation and presents it as a viable option for many civil litigation cases. Marsh walks would-be pro se litigants (as well as the simply curious) through the entire process, providing “in case you didn’t know” explanations of the court system, the stages of a trial, and the process of jury selection. The author breaks down what one can and cannot sue for, describes different forms of damages, and explains injunctive relief (detailing what it is and where it can be applied). Each chapter is organized to be easily readable and includes a summation of key points at its conclusion. The book also includes a glossary of legal terms and appendices with sample legal documents. Marsh has assembled an extremely useful and helpful guide—if readers understand its limits. The author emphasizes that following this volume’s advice is not an absolute substitute for retaining a lawyer, showing that non-lawyers are at a disadvantage in many ways, even with the extra leeway they may be granted by judges. Marsh offers good advice for trial presentation, which largely boils down to counseling readers on how to not alienate those they are trying to win over. (The author includes a lot of material on false arrest, which seems narrowly focused for such a broad manual; perhaps this is reflective of his trial experience.) The book also includes a special section on employment discrimination. Overall, this practical primer does an effective job of demystifying the civil trial process.

A useful manual that acknowledges its own limitations.