When comic book lawyer Matt Murdock couldn’t appear in court due to speculation that he was the blind, acrobatic superhero Daredevil, he came up with an alternative plan: coaching his clients to represent themselves in court. Now a Melbourne law firm has set up a similar scheme: “offering ‘court coaching’ for a lower fee to those unable to afford, or who do not want, full legal representation. This involves a one-hour conversation with [a barrister] who gives clients tips on how to present themselves and their arguments in court.” The new service reflects a developing trend in Victorian courts; the County Court has established a dedicated coordinator to assist self-represented litigants, and the Supreme Court says they make up “about 20 per cent of all [civil] litigants, compared with 3 per cent of people facing criminal charges”.
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