While the Bickerton Law Blog is a good resource for information about how criminal law works in Pennsylvania, sometimes people who choose to represent themselves (pro se litigants) need something between full representation by a lawyer and the go-it-alone approach. The law practice of Bickerton Legal Services works with do-it-yourself litigants to help them prepare to get the best possible outcome.
Schedule an appointment
Call today to schedule your self-representation session with Bickerton Legal Services
Brainstorming and Strategy Sessions
One of the most important things an experienced attorney can do is to identify legal issues and find ways to deal with them. Bickerton Legal’s brainstorming and strategy sessions give self-represented litigants the chance to have an experienced lawyer find and explain the different issues in their case.
Document Review
For the Bickerton Legal Services self-representation support, the document review services include proofreading and checking citations to case law and statutes.
Hearing and Court Preparation
Court hearings are usually not like the ones that you see on TV. For the hearing and court preparation services, self-represented clients are given advice about what to expect in a hearing, how to follow proper procedure, and how to use objections effectively.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hire a lawyer just to look over my legal documents in Pennsylvania?
Yes. This is something that’s called “unbundled” or limited legal services. The attorney and the client agree in advance exactly what work is covered under the fee agreement.
Can I use this service if I already have a lawyer?
Not directly. While Bickerton Legal Services welcomes working with your lawyer, the firm does not offer independent legal support services to people who already have an attorney.
Will you go to court with me?
For self-representation support, the services usually don’t include a court appearance by a lawyer. To have a lawyer appear, the agreement would be for full representation.
Can I use the court coach service to have someone review information that I’ve downloaded from AI?
Yes. We do recommend that people avoid using consumer-level LLMs/AI to handle their legal questions. Some courts have said that the information that’s shared to that AI (Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, etc.) can be subpoenaed and is not protected by attorney-client privilege or considered to be what’s called “work product.”
Yes. We do recommend that people avoid using consumer-level LLMs/AI to handle their legal questions. Some courts have said that the information that’s shared to that AI (Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT, Grok, etc.) can be subpoenaed and is not protected by attorney-client privilege or considered to be what’s called “work product.”
Is the fee hourly or is it a flat-fee?
Bickerton Legal Services offers support to people who are representing themselves by flat-fee and by hourly billing. The type of fee depends on the type of work that’s going to be done and what the client is most comfortable with.
What type of relationship does a client who wants court coaching have with the lawyer at Bickerton Legal Services?
The relationship is a regular attorney-client relationship. What makes the self-representation support different is that it’s considered to be a limited scope agreement. In other words: the lawyer isn’t retained to do full representation but is hired to do specific tasks.
A word of advice
Criminal law is a field that is often more complicated than it seems. Since most criminal cases come with the risk of jail time and fines, the consequences of a conviction can be serious. A problem that has tripped up lawyers and the self-represented is when you don’t know or understand something about the law and have no idea that you don’t know it. If you don ‘t have training and experience in criminal law, it’s easy to end up with a conviction in a case where someone with more experience may have been able to get the charges dismissed or reduced.