Civil vs criminal
"I have represented myself twice in civil court"
"I would agree that representing yourself in criminal court seems unlikely to succeed."
Can't agree more with both of these statements.
Bear in mind in civil court both parties are equal before the state, so as long as you are prepared for what is happening (which may or may not involve a lawyer), then legal representation is not required. It's also generally only adjudicating over property, which is generally money. Small claims court in particular shouldn't require it, as it would be counter intuitive to it's purpose.
Criminal court is when you can get your rights removed, and this has a need to be thorough. The accused is presumed innocent, and the burden of proof is on the prosecution. A judge may require you to have representation in order to avoid a mistrial, and you'd would indeed be a fool to not have an impartial expert to present your side.
Have a beer for taking companies to small claims. I've been fucked around by larger companies to realise that for some not paying their suppliers until the summons hits is part of their plan. Once it was clear I'd go to court they paid up. As late and as inconvenient as possible, but early enough* that they wouldn't have to pay any share of my costs, since we'd "settled".
* 1645 on the day before the hearing was popular.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
