Pro Se Litigation History
 Pro Per Litigation is PROPER LITIGATION
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Pro se litigation was the rule rather than the exception in early American history.
“Lawyers were actually banned outright or faced tight restrictions in many colonies for much of the 18th century. . . . The "Body of Liberties" adopted by the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1641 expressed the typical attitudes of the time: "Every man that findeth himselfe unfit to plead his own cause in any court shall have libertie to employ any man ..., provided he give him noe fee or reward for his pain.".
The strong tradition that each American should be able to master the laws probably peaked in the years between . . . 1825 and . . . 1865. Most states enforced few if any restrictions on non-lawyers appearing in court on behalf of others — as Lincoln himself did before he talked a judge into granting him attorney status.
The American Bar Association convinced states to pass "unauthorized practice of law" statutes in the 1920s and 1930s, which effectively gave lawyers a monopoly over the sale of legal information.
In the last two decades many Americans . . . have begun to assert their historical and constitutional right to participate in the legal decisions that affect their lives. Unfortunately, the Bar — despite the fact that its leaders concede that at least 100 million Americans can't afford lawyers — continues to resist this powerful democratic trend.” (Warner, Every American a Lawyer” at http://www.nolo.com/everyam.html ).
Important Note: PRO PER LITIGATION SOCIETY DOES NOT INTERPRET THE LAW OR PROVIDE LEGAL ADVICE
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