Quote Quoting jacklynn116
I have my personal belongings looked through by the bailiff, but the opposing partys council just walks through the detector beeping like crazy...and no one questions her or goes through her purse.
Many courts give lawyers a lighter security check than non-lawyers.

Quote Quoting jacklynn116
What is to be said about the credibiluty of a lawyer v. a pro se litigant?
The unfortunate cliche? That a person who represents himself has a fool for a client. It isn't so much credibility - it is very difficult for a pro se litigant to stay on top of the rules of evidence and rules of civil procedure, and it is easy to lose a case over procedural error.

I recall discussing a potential appeal with a pro se litigant, who thought he had done a really good job representing himself, but by the time he was finished describing what happened it was clear that (however he should have done in court) his mistakes had caused his case to be dismissed before he even introduced evidence, and there was no realistic chance of prevailing on appeal.