“Pro se” (pronounced “pro say”) is a Latin phrase that means “on one’s own behalf.” When you appear pro se in court, it means you are not represented by a lawyer.  Instead, you are acting as your own lawyer. The right of individuals to be their own advocate in court has been allowed in the United States since before we were even a country.

The phrase “in pro per” (or “in propria persona”) is another way to say the same thing – you are appearing on your own behalf. Some courts would say someone who appears without a lawyer is acting pro se, while other courts would say the person is acting in pro per. Which phrase you use just depends on the custom of the court you’re in.

So are you acting pro se when you are out of court?  Like when you are writing a letter to a company or neighbor or dealing with a customer service rep to resolve a dispute?  Maybe not technically, but the skills Pro Se HQ can impart — helping you to think and act like your own lawyer — will definitely help you advocate for yourself outside of court, too.

All kinds! Everyone from individuals to business owners can benefit from learning how to advocate for their own legal interests. 

If you are sued or choose to go to court yourself, but you don’t have a lawyer, then Pro Se HQ was created with exactly you in mind. 

And you don’t already have to be in a lawsuit to benefit from learning to think like a lawyer.  Sadly, almost every interaction you can have in modern America carries the risk of becoming a legal situation. 

Even if you aren’t approaching a dispute with the law in your own mind, the other person might be.  So it pays to learn how to protect your own legal interests — both before and after a dispute arises, both in and out of court. 

Pro Se HQ’s educational videos, podcasts, written materials, and courses will help you be a better advocate for your own legal interests, whatever the situation.

Pro Se HQ’s how-to videos can teach you a lot, including:

• how to find a lawyer, if that’s what you want to do
• how to hire a lawyer, if you are able to afford one
• how much you can expect to pay a lawyer
• the basics of the court system
• how a lawsuit works — the who, what, where, why, how, and when from beginning to end
• whether and how you can or should represent yourself in different kinds of cases
• how to find out what the law is
• how (and why!) to research cases
• how to write and respond to letters about disputes — so you can increase the odds of staying out of court in the first place
• how to write and file different legal documents in a court case
• how to deal with lawyers (either your own or those opposing you)
• how much lawsuits cost and who has to pay
• how to collect the right documents to help you in a legal dispute
• how to understand “legalese” (lawyerly language) when you read it
• how (and why!) to take good notes when you deal with someone
• … and more!

Our goal is to give our audience a practical education about the legal system.  We try to answer the questions that matter to people who have to be their own lawyer. To help us do that, we invite our audience to submit their questions to us so that we can make exactly the kinds of videos that will be most helpful.

We are not your lawyer, but if you have to represent yourself (by choice or necessity), then our website, videos, podcasts, written materials, and courses can teach you what you need to know to enable you to do the best job that you possibly can.

No — our videos are made by lawyers, but Pro Se HQ is not a law firm.

We do not give legal advice on our website or in our videos, podcasts, written materials, or courses. Whether in our how-to and Q&A videos or in any of our other resources, we cannot recommend any course of action to you based on the unique facts of your situation. 

What Pro Se HQ can and does provide is legal education.  Our goal is to teach you what you need to know so that you can be the best advocate for yourself that you possibly can. 

If you want legal advice or guidance for your specific situation, then you must hire a lawyer for that. You cannot rely upon our website, videos, podcasts, written materials, or courses as legal advice.

Be sure to read our disclaimer, which emphasizes the strictly educational (as opposed to advisory) nature of our content.  Your understanding and agreement to everything in our disclaimer is required before you are authorized by us to watch or use any of our educational content.

Easy!  Just submit your question or suggest a how-to video by clicking here to complete a short form.

Remember, we don’t give legal advice, so we won’t be able to address the specific facts of your case or issue.  No attorney-client privilege applies to anything you send us, so please don’t send anything confidential and please also avoid giving other people’s names and personal details.

That said, please go ahead and send us your questions and suggestions! 

We answer questions quickly, and we produce new videos frequently.  When we cover a topic you’ve suggested in a new how-to video or address your question (or questions) in a Q&A video, we’ll alert you by email with a link so you can view our video answer right away.

First, visit our YouTube channel and check out our free how-to videos to see if we have covered a topic that you already know is of interest.  Then browse the rest of our videos.  You can learn a lot about how to advocate for yourself — in and out of court — just by watching the videos on our channel.

Second, you can click here to fill out a short form to ask us a question or to request a video on a topic of your choice. We do our best to respond to requests quickly, and we produce new videos frequently.  As soon as we address your request(s) in a video, we’ll alert you by email so you can view that video right away.

Third, you can go to our Patreon Page and become a supporter (in any amount).  Pledging as little as $1 per month unlocks all of the Q&A videos that we have produced since Pro Se HQ launched. (This gives you access to all the videos we have made for others, but even without donating you can always view any video that we’ve made in response to a request you’ve submitted.) Other benefits for our Patreon supporters are being rolled out soon!

Watching our videos on YouTube is always 100% free.  We make all of our how-to videos available on our YouTube channel.  

People who choose to support us by making a monthly donation (in any amount) on Patreon get the added benefit of access to all the Q&A videos we’ve ever made in response to specific questions from our audience.  (But — even if you aren’t able to be a supporter on Patreon, you’ll still always get access to your own Q&A videos.)

We don’t want cost to stop anyone from using the resources we provide.  Someone once said that the only rights you have are the rights you can afford to enforce. That sad truth represents an ongoing failure by the American legal profession to provide a truly accessible system of justice to all the people in this country. 

We aim to do something about that failure. Pro Se HQ exists to help people learn how to effectively advocate for themselves — both in and out of court — so that the price of a lawyer won’t keep anyone from having access to justice.

When hiring a lawyer is too expensive for most people, no one should be laughed or scorned out of the courtroom for representing themselves.  By educating people to be better advocates, Pro Se HQ helps ensure that access to justice in America is real. We also expect that better pro se advocacy will inevitably mean more respectful treatment of pro se litigants — by judges and lawyers alike!

If you want to help us achieve these goals, then we hope you’ll support us (in any amount) on Patreon. But even if you’re unable to make a donation, know that we’ll still do everything we can to improve access to justice in America by helping you and others. 

Meanwhile, please watch our YouTube videos and send us your suggestions and questions for free!  We’re excited to help you learn how to represent yourself well — both in and out of court.