Can you force a Defendent to hire an attorney?

[lowens1975]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Florida

I just hired an attorney to contest a Last Will and Testament. The lis pendens was filed and I received a copy of the response ianswer) in today's mail.

What I got was a rambling bunch of lies on a piece of paper, childish accusations, misspelled words, and misuse of legal terminology.

Do I have to answer it? I'd much my attorney get to deal with a REAL attorney.

 

[justalayman]

no, you cannot make them hire an attorney. There are times in life a court can require a person to obtain counsel but you can't

and then not having an attorney is often to your advantage. When ignorant people try to play attorney, they often, simply put, screw up by not understanding what they are doing. It makes it easier to whoop on them.

Do I have to answer it?

Of course not. You don't have to answer it but if the rules require you to answer it so as to abide by the rules of civil procedure, it would surely be a good idea to answer it.





I'd much my attorney get to deal with a REAL attorney.

 

[HomeGuru]

That's right. An individual has a right to act as their own (crazy) attorney.

 

[lowens1975]

Crazy is right

Thank you, all of you, for your answers. It's not like I was expecting F. Lee Bailey, but to get an answer to a very serious lawsuit that sounded more like "She's touching me, make her quit", just kinda blew me away. I was expecting a professional answer to the suit. If she wants to defend herself, oh well.

 

[latigo]

I just hired an attorney to contest a Last Will and Testament . . . I received a copy of the response answer . . . It's not like I was expecting F. Lee Bailey . . . Do I have to answer it . . . If she wants to defend herself, oh well. . ..

Just curious, but

Why are you addressing this person as if she were the defendant and defending “herself”? There are no “defendants” per se in a probate will contest.

The whole premise of your posts seems based upon the belief that someone is being sued and that is not so in a will contest. Because if “she” is defending anything, it is the validity of the will and presumably doing so - not in her individual capacity - but as the personal representative of the estate, which is the PR’s responsibility.

Moreover, if as you say you hired a lawyer, then why in world would you be of a mind that “you” personally must reply to her responsive pleading?

I trust that your attorney - with whom you seem to have limited communication – has advised you of the extreme difficulty in breaking a will!
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Incidentally, the Supreme Court of Florida found Mr. F. Lee Bailey guilty on seven counts of confusing client’s money with his own and disbarred him in 2001. Followed by reciprocal disciplinary action in Massachusetts.