Self-Represented Ligitants
What is a self-represented litigant?
All adult citizens have the constitutional right to represent themselves in court. If you represent yourself, you are called a “pro se”, “pro per”, or “self-represented” litigant and you are acting as your own attorney.
If you have already tried to resolve your dispute without going to court and you have decided you need to sue someone, you need to find out the court that handles your type of matter. If you have been notified to appear in court for jury duty or to response to a summons or a traffic ticket, read the notice or summons carefully because it will tell you the name of the court where your case has been filed.
There are three trial courts in Michigan: circuit, district, and probate. There are other courts for filing cases against the State of Michigan, for filing appeals, and for filing bankruptcy. To learn more about Michigan’s judicial system, check out the Michigan Supreme Court’s Learning Center page, at Learn About the Michigan Court System.
When you represent yourself in court, it is important to understand the legal issues in your case as well as the courtroom procedures. A great place to start is with our state’s own self-help legal resource — Michigan Legal Help. Michigan Legal Help is used by more than 50,000 people each week, who are looking for legal resources and self-help tools on topics ranging from eviction to issues with access to benefits.
Self-help for PPO’s:
https://michiganlegalhelp.org/resources/personal-protection-orders
Additional materials and resources that may help you are located at Self-Represented Litigants (michigan.gov)