Everyone knows the saying: if you want to get something done right, do it yourself (or something to that effect). The saying does not apply to practising law in the superior courts of this province. Representing yourself without the benefit of legal advice can not only result in your case getting dismissed, but can result in you having to pay the other party their costs!

Case in point: reasons for judgment were released today by the BC Supreme Court in Ducharme v. Bradler, 2015 940 (http://www.courts.gov.bc.ca/jdb-txt/SC/15/09/2015BCSC0940.htm). Ms. Ducharme was injured in two car accidents. Liability was admitted for both accidents by the Defendants in each (who were represented by ICBC).

The Plaintiff represented herself at trial and failed to present sufficient admissible evidence relating to her injuries to prove anything more than a nominal claim, and was found by the Court to be lacking credibility in her testimony. She was awarded an aggregate sum of $1,500.00 for both accidents. However, since she ignored an offer to settle by ICBC for $21,000.00, she was ordered to pay the Defendants $19,000.00 to them in costs!

The lesson here is to hire a professional to handle your case or else you might end up injuring your wallet.