History Main / AFoolForAClient

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'', Dale represents himself while trying to sue a tobacco company for money to get Nancy a facelift, culminating in Dale examining himself on the witness stand.
* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/LegendQuest'' episode "Jersey Devil". The protagonists are accused of witchcraft. Don Andrés, one of their own, represents them.
* Gonzo does this in the ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'' episode "Weirdo for the Prosecution".

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS15E4TheReginaMonologues The Regina Monologues]]": Homer represented himself instead of hiring a barrister. Marge allowed it because she didn't think Homer's chances were good enough to be damaged by the decision. Not surprisingly, Homer managed to offend the judge, jury, and the British public at large even further (he was on trial for crashing into the Queen's carriage) -- ending up in [[RuleOfFunny the Tower of London]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'', the Monarch represents himself when he's suspected of murdering a police officer, and at one point called himself to testify about the events of that night. In a later episode he does it again while subjected to a "crucible" by the Guild of Calamitous Intent, and in a deleted scene directly quotes the phrase about "a fool for a client."

** It's also worth noting that the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 download has a trophy if you try out all of the possible conversations between Guybrush and his client. Said trophy is actually called "Idiot for a Client".

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZadedM8vjA Darrell Edward Brooks Jr.]] was convicted on all counts after representing himself in his mass murder trial in 2022. He was tried for mass murder after driving a red 2010 Ford Escape intentionally through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin in November of 2021. What can loosely be described as his legal strategy included arguments from the sovereign citizens movement, such as repeatedly asking the state of Wisconsin itself to appear on the witness stand, challenging jurisdiction, and attempting to waste as much time as humanly possible. He incessantly interrupted with objections (usually claiming hearsay or leading) that were nearly always overruled. He later added an additional strategy of demanding "grounds" as to why his objections were overruled. He would also attempt the "grounds" tactic when the prosecution objected to his statements despite the fact the prosecuting attorneys stated the grounds with their objections; he also often would demand the grounds for the overruling before Judge Jennifer Dorow had an opportunity to rule on the objection. He consistently displayed total incompetence with court proceedings by attempting to submit pictures that he had not shared with the prosecution, presenting an opening statement consisting entirely of emotional appeal, attempting to introduce new arguments during his closing statement, and mispronouncing [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking "bias" as "biast]]." His apparent narcissism was also present during the entire proceeding and he felt entitled to aggressively interrupt the prosecution, judge, and witnesses whenever he did not approve of how he was being described or if he thought someone was laughing at him resulting in him being removed multiple times and moved to another courtroom alone where he was present on camera and could be muted at the push of a button when he acted out. At one point, he resorted to silently giving the judge a DeathGlare until she halted proceedings and again had him removed from the courtroom. The one piece of evidence that actually could've put some doubt on his culpability, that a recall had been sent out on the model of his vehicle related to faulty throttle control, was something he neglected to submit to the court. The end result of the trial was a guilty verdict for 6 counts of 1st-degree homicide and hit and run causing death, 61 counts of 1st-degree recklessly endangering safety (the people he struck with his SUV who survived his attack,) and 3 counts of domestic violence from an unrelated event. The judge sentenced him to [[LongerThanLifeSentence 6 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole plus an additional 762.5 years]] and $171,413.94 in restitution. During the sentencing phase, the judge gave him a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech long speech condemning his actions and chastising him for making a spectacle of the trial]] as well as somewhat debunking his mother's statement before sentencing where she tried to argue [[InsanityDefense that mental health played a factor]], a detail Judge Dorow refused given the numerous competency tests that Brooks underwent (and which did not find him mentally incompetent). It's telling to how the case went that Brooks is appealing the trial and asking for public defense on a new trial.

* ''Film/TheAddamsFamily'': "They say a man who represents himself has a fool for a client. Well, with God as my witness, ''I am that fool!''"[[note]]A certain amount of HollywoodLaw comes into this, as when he [[GilliganCut is next shown losing the case]], we see that the judge is his next-door neighbor who hates him. A judge who was a neighbor of ''anyone'' involved in a court case would not be allowed to oversee that case, regardless of whether they were enemies, friends, or anywhere in between[[/note]].

-->-- '''Gomez Addams''', ''Film/TheAddamsFamily''

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZadedM8vjA Darrell Edward Brooks Jr.]] was convicted on all counts after representing himself in his mass murder trial in 2022. He was tried for mass murder after driving a red 2010 Ford Escape intentionally through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin in November of 2021. What can loosely be described as his legal strategy included arguments from the sovereign citizens movement, such as repeatedly asking the state of Wisconsin itself to appear on the witness stand, challenging jurisdiction, and attempting to waste as much time as humanly possible. He incessantly interrupted with objections (usually claiming hearsay or leading) that were nearly always overruled. He later added an additional strategy of demanding "grounds" as to why his objections were overruled. He would also attempt the "grounds" tactic when the prosecution objected to his statements despite the fact the prosecuting attorneys stated the grounds with their objections; he also often would demand the grounds for the overruling before Judge Jennifer Dorow had an opportunity to rule on the objection. He consistently displayed total incompetence with court proceedings by attempting to submit pictures that he had not shared with the prosecution, presenting an opening statement consisting entirely of emotional appeal, attempting to introduce new arguments during his closing statement, and mispronouncing [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking "bias" as "biast]]." His apparent narcissism was also present during the entire proceeding and he felt entitled to aggressively interrupt the prosecution, judge, and witnesses whenever he did not approve of how he was being described or if he thought someone was laughing at him resulting in him being removed multiple times and moved to another courtroom alone where he was present on camera and could be muted at the push of a button when he acted out. At one point, he resorted to silently giving the judge a death stare until she halted proceedings and again had him removed from the courtroom. The one piece of evidence that actually could've put some doubt on his culpability, that a recall had been sent out on the model of his vehicle related to faulty throttle control, was something he neglected to submit to the court. The end result of the trial was a guilty verdict for 6 counts of 1st-degree homicide and hit and run causing death, 61 counts of 1st-degree recklessly endangering safety (the people he struck with his SUV who survived his attack,) and 3 counts of domestic violence from an unrelated event. The judge sentenced him to 6 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole plus an additional 762.5 years and $171,413.94 in restitution. During the sentencing phase, the judge gave him a [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech long speech condemning his actions and chastising him for making a spectacle of the trial]] as well as somewhat debunking his mother's statement before sentencing where she tried to argue [[InsanityDefense that mental health played a factor]], a detail Judge Dorow refused given the numerous competency tests that Brooks underwent (and which did not find him mentally incompetent). It's telling to how the case went that Brooks is appealing the trial and asking for public defense on a new trial.

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!

[[caption-width-right:346:[[NotHelpingYourCase You're not helping your case, buddy]].]]

* Georgina Weldon, a Victorian woman who was falsely declared insane and almost institutionalized at the instigation of her estranged husband in 1878, represented herself in her many lawsuits against her husband and the doctors who had helped him between 1882 and 1888. In a subversion, she won every case despite having no legal training and no counsel on standby to advise her.

In general, most legal professionals consider a person going to court without the aid of an attorney to be a really bad idea, even when the litigant ''is an attorney themselves''. Not all attorneys are [[OmnidisciplinaryLawyer versed in all forms of law]]; how many alleged murderers does the average tax lawyer defend in their lifetime, after all? Furthermore, even if said attorney ''is'' an expert in that precise field of law, being that close to the matter at hand is a great way to lose sight of the big picture.[[note]]For similar reasons, it is also considered a bad idea for a lawyer to represent a family member or close friend. To illustrate the need for a certain amount of emotional distance, picture a scenario in which a lawyer represents her brother and is offered a plea deal of ten years when going to trial means a potential life sentence. She might feel strongly that her brother is innocent and should not serve any time for a crime he didn't commit, where another attorney would recommend taking the deal. Conversely, she might advise him to take the deal out of fear of him going to prison for life, when there's a good enough chance of winning to justify fighting the charges. Being emotionally involved, whether the client is oneself or a loved one, can color one's (otherwise good) judgment.[[/note]] There is a reason why the adage in full often reads as some variation of "The man who represents himself has a fool for a client ''and an ass for an attorney.''"

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'', the Monarch represents himself when he's suspected of murdering a police officer, and at one point called himself to testify about the events of that night. In a later episode he does it again while subjected to a "crucible" by the Guild of Calamitous Intent, and in a deleted scene directly quotes the phrase about "a fool for a client."