Do you need a lawyer or attorney for a restraining order or an order of protection in Missouri? Chris Combs and Steve Waterkotte discuss why you should hire an attorney if you have been served with an order of protection.
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Episode Transcript
Scott Michael Dunn: I mean, often this is within the confines of a relationship. Let’s say it’s frivolous, she, he, they just do this all the time, she’s exaggerating. Do I really need an attorney to fight an order?
Steve Waterkotte: Absolutely. Without a doubt. Would I do my own surgery, if I needed a knee replacement? I wouldn’t do that myself, right? Would you walk into a courtroom with this much at stake, with no legal background, no legal training?
Now, can you do it? Yeah. I’m in these dockets all the time and I watch folks do it, and it’s cringe. You’re going, “Ugh, this poor guy or poor woman, they don’t know how to make correct objections.” You’re held to the same standard as an attorney. So when you walk in that courtroom, this isn’t Judge Judy, where anything goes.
Chris Combs: [Where] rules of evidence don’t apply.
I saw this today in court – just real quick, Steve, sorry to talk over you – but I was in court today and someone was representing themselves. And the judge said, “Well this is set for trial now.” And the person said, “I’m going to represent myself.”
The judge said, “You’re not going to understand the rules of evidence and how to get your evidence in. And if the other party’s attorney objects to something, and I sustain that objection, you’re not going to understand the nuances.”
If you need Missouri’s leading order of protection defense team to defend your rights and freedom, speak to one of our attorneys today at (314) 900-HELP or contact us online for a free case review.
