california common-law rules-of-court tort pro-se
What torts can a person not yet admitted to the bar represent before a California state or federal court?
<p>A comment on a recent question stuck with me: &quot;[L]ay people can't prosecute [torts] in California&quot;.</p>
<p>Is this correct? And if so, to what extent? What torts can and cannot be prosecuted by a layman.</p>
<p>I am hoping to receive one or two case laws too so that I could research the topic further.</p>

<p>A non-lawyer can bring torts committed against them in their own name as <em>pro se</em> parties in their own name. They cannot sue for torts committed against others including entities in which they are officers, or persons for whom they are guardians, nor can they represent someone else in their efforts to do so.</p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.courts.ca.gov/documents/benchguide_self_rep_litigants.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">handbook written for California judges</a> does not anywhere suggest a greater limitation than that. Neither does <a href="http://www.caed.uscourts.gov/caednew/assets/File/Combined%20Pro%20Se%20Packet(1).pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a guide for <em>pro se</em> parties in federal courts in California</a> (see also <a href="https://cand.uscourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Pro_Se_Handbook_2020_links_8-2021.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>). Labor law and civil rights claims <a href="http://gi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3274&amp;context=hastings_law_journal" rel="nofollow noreferrer">are routinely filed <em>pro se</em> in California's federal courts</a>. <a href="https://www.occourts.org/self-help/civil/filingalawsuit.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">California's state courts have standard court forms</a> for <em>pro se</em> parties to use in state court to sue for torts like personal injury and fraud.</p>
<p>The comment that: &quot;[L]ay people can't prosecute [torts] in California&quot;, appears to be not literally true. Either the implied meaning was that they cannot prosecute torts committed against someone other than themselves, or the comment was mistaken. It is also possible that the person making the comment meant that it was not as a practical matter possible to be successful in doing so because it is so difficult.</p>
<p>There may be a limited exception for law students in a legal clinic working under the supervision of a law school professor.</p>
