Cruz Law, PLLC Blog
Stay informed with practical advice and real-world stories from my work across New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties. Whether you’re facing charges or just want to know your rights, this blog breaks it down, without the legal jargon.
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Part III: Do I Need a Lawyer? Pitfalls in a Domestic Violence Protective Order (“DVPO”) and Civil No-Contact Order Hearing.
Imagine, you’re in court for a domestic violence protective order (“50B”) or civil no-contact order (“50C”) hearing because your ex-lover is abusing, stalking, or harassing you. Or maybe it’s the other way around and you are defending against one of these types of orders. Certainly, there is a story to tell: their story—and your story.
In the end, the judge applies the law to the story they believe. Hopefully, your story is the one the judge believes. Some people (maybe the opposing party) hire an attorney because an attorney can help tell their story. But unlike someone who hires an attorney, when someone is unrepresented, that is, they are representing themselves, some of the common pitfalls are:
Our next segment of Do I Need a Lawyer? focuses on domestic violence protective orders and civil-no contact orders. Sometimes people call these cases “restraining orders.” Generally, these cases are emotional and involve family members, neighbors, or disputes between old friends. Also, these cases have serious consequences that can last a year or longer. In this post, we discuss why someone might choose to represent themselves and some of the risks involved.
Often when someone needs to go to court, they consider whether they will represent themselves in court or hire an attorney. This is a legitimate concern for many because of cost concerns, time constraints, and other priorities in their life. This is a two-part series. This blog post sheds light on why someone might choose to represent themselves in a criminal case or traffic ticket case. But we also discuss what could happen if things do not go well for you in court and why hiring a lawyer might be advantageous to you. That’s not all, in the coming weeks, stay tuned for Part II – Do I Need a Lawyer for a Civil Case? where we focus on the benefits of having a lawyer for a domestic violence protective order and civil no-contact order hearing.
