This forum provides a lot of good information germane to legal issues. I have seen some high quality posts and thoughts provided by several members.
However, there is often no substitute to hiring a lawyer to help you navigate your way through the system you are confronted with.
I once attempted to represent myself in a personnel matter. The company just rolled over me like I did not even exist. I finally spent the several thousand on a lawyer that I should have to begin with. Immediately the smirk was wiped off the face of the company's lawyers. I was substantially able to recover from the hole I was in and have no doubt I would have fared better had I hired a lawyer to begin with.
Another thing to consider is that YOU have no relationship with the state's attorney. The lawyer you hire may very well have one. This can grease the skids to getting a better deal than you could ever obtain yourself.

