HOW HIRING A LAWYER PREVENTS COMMON ‘SELF-HELP’ MISTAKES

Authored By :

Babatunde Adesoji Fasogbon

“God forbid that a lawyer knows all the law, but a good lawyer is one who knows where to find the law.”
-Lord Denning

The law, a cultural universal which guides the activities of people all over the world, is a spectrum so vast, it is impossible for one single person to know it all. Lawyers spend years studying the law, becoming professionals, and learning how to navigate it as it can be quite complex for most people to understand.

In every social society, situations involving the law are bound to arise; from things as little as petty trade transactions, simple contractual transactions to as much as, setting up a business, buying property, being charged with an offense, etc. Lawyers can help with legal problems after they come up and even before they come up, as they have the ability to anticipate and preempt serious legal problems.

Here are some of the reasons why hiring a Lawyer is crucial:

The law is complicated

As mentioned earlier, lawyers dedicate several years of education and their careers to helping people understand the law. The average Nigerian is unaware of many rights they possess as a citizen, and lawyers are available and willing to explain how they can fight for those rights. It is important to remember that taking legal action does not make you a bad person. You can stand up for yourself and protect your rights with dignity. Working with a lawyer provides you with stability throughout your legal process. An attorney is there to explain to you whether or not there is liability involved in the actions that led you to be injured and to simplify whatever the Law entails in one’s predicament.

Defense Against Crimes

This is one of the leading reasons why one might ever need a lawyer. Crimes are unfortunately a very common issue in Nigeria, and whether you are charged with a crime or even if you are looking to file charges against someone for a criminal case, you should always be accompanied by a lawyer. Crimes differ in nature and severity, but whatever the crime you find yourself charged with or involved in, hiring a lawyer to defend you is the best option. Even experienced lawyers typically do not represent themselves in court as a solid case can quickly unravel without the help of a trained and emotionally detached attorney.

Not Having a Lawyer May Cost You More

What’s at stake? A criminal case may determine whether or not you spend time behind bars, while a civil case could hurt you financially. In a civil case, your opponent will most likely have an attorney and You will be at a great disadvantage if you try to go up against an attorney representing your adversary.

Besides, hiring a lawyer is not just done when a person is involved in a criminal case or civil dispute. Businesses can hire lawyers to help them out and offer valuable advice during business deals that could end up saving the business a lot of money. Lawyers are usually expert negotiators and have experience in the business field to help companies negotiate for better deals and save any extra expenses. A business’s finances are the backbone of its success, so hiring a lawyer with extensive knowledge and resources in the field can come in handy.

Documents and Paperwork.

When progressing through your case, it’s imperative that you file the proper paperwork at the proper times. If you’re not an attorney, you may struggle with the deadlines and protocols for properly filling out and filing certain legal documents as you may have problems working through legal documents. One late or incorrect filing could derail your case, delay a given legal procedure, or worse – have the case thrown out altogether (and not in your favor).

In respect to a business, it can be quite challenging at times when it comes to dealing with different legal documents, including employees’ contracts or other contracts that you draft for business deals. Hiring a lawyer would make your life easier as they have enough experience to draft any kind of contract, whether it’s for your employees’ sake or any trade deal.

Getting Compensation for Damages

Hiring a lawyer can be important if you have been involved in some kind of accident where you have endured damages that you should be compensated for. Such situations could be anything from being injured at work, out of no fault of your own, or being involved in a car crash where you were a victim, or even receiving a faulty product that you should be compensated for. Attorneys also have an extended network of professionals to help their clients’ cases, they have valuable relationships with expert witnesses who can help with discovery or challenge evidence or testimony by the opposing party.

In conclusion, despite the attraction of no legal fees, going to court without a lawyer is usually not a good idea. A lawyer knows the system and has special skills and training. Self-representation, in some cases, may allow you to access the courts, but will it really allow you access to justice?