Real Experiences Representing Yourself in Court
For readers who need guidance and inspiration to stand their ground, Condozilla is a roadmap, a rallying cry, and a real-life survival story rolled into one.
BLOG
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THE DANGERS OF TIKTOK ASTROLOGY
In the age of endless scrolling, TikTok has become a modern-day oracle of sorts. In sixty seconds or less, you can learn a “life hack,” diagnose your personality type, or uncover a cosmic secret about your future. But while these rapid-fire videos are incredibly engaging, they come with a significant drawback: they trade depth for…
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THE STRATEGIC USE OF A TRANSLATOR IN COURT FOR NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS
When my father was involved in a car accident that wasn’t his fault, we did something that might have raised a few eyebrows. We accepted the offer of a translator for his deposition, even though he didn’t really need one. My father speaks English well enough to understand complex questions and give clear, thoughtful answers.…
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WHEN DEFINITIONS CAN MAKE OR BREAK YOUR CASE
A Self-Rep’s Secret Weapon I once heard an interesting concept about contracts: that words need meaning to matter, and the writer of the contract has the ability to define them. The person who controls the definitions controls the agreement. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I applied this concept when fighting…
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WHEN A CONDO BECOMES A CULT
The Dark Side of Condo Living Most people who move into a condominium, think they understand what they are signing up for. Shared amenities, monthly fees, a board of directors elected by residents—all reasonable enough. What they don’t understand is how quickly reasonable arrangements can morph into something else entirely. Something that, shares unsettling similarities…
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WHEN THE CONDO BOARD IS WRONG, EVERYONE PAYS
What Happens When No One Listens When our condo corporation decided to take legal action against our unit, we knew the law was on our side. That wasn’t arrogance—it was the conclusion we’d reached after reading the rules ourselves, after consulting the governing documents, after doing the kind of homework that self-reps learn to do…
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WHAT COURT CLERKS CAN AND CAN’T TELL YOU
What Every Self-Rep Needs To Know If you’ve spent any time in a courthouse hallway waiting for your number to be called, you’ve watched this scene play out. A frazzled litigant approaches the counter, clutching a stack of papers, desperate for guidance. The clerk listens, shifts uncomfortably, and delivers some version of: “I’m sorry, I…
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THE EMOTIONAL REALITY OF BEING A SELF REP
Being a self-represented litigant is, I have to say, one of the most stressful and loneliest experiences I think anyone can go through. It’s not just the stigma, though that’s real enough—the bias, the assumptions, the way people’s faces shift when you explain why you’re in court without a lawyer. It’s that the experience itself…
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THE REALITY OF RETAINING A LAWYER
What Surprised Me As A Self-Rep As a self-represented litigant facing a team of lawyers, I assumed I was up against highly coordinated professionals with extensive expertise and institutional support. The imbalance in resources alone was intimidating. I expected that every document would be meticulously prepared and every procedural step carefully executed. What surprised me,…
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WHY NOT EVERY MOTION IS WORTH FIGHTING
Expensive Mistakes Self-Represented Litigants Make In my last post, I wrote about the costly lesson of missing a hearing because we didn’t trust the other side. But that wasn’t our only expensive mistake. Around the same time, we made another error that cost us just as much—and it came from the opposite instinct. Instead of…
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THE COST OF MISSING A HEARING
Mistakes Self-Represented Litigants Make When you’re representing yourself, every step of the legal process feels personal. You’re not just fighting a case; you’re fighting against a system you don’t fully understand, against opponents who do it for a living. And when you’re already on edge, it’s easy to misinterpret what’s happening—especially when things change at…
A Crash Course in Fighting Back
Facing a condo board alone?
When Clara’s mother is threatened with unjust charges, she must represent herself in Canada’s legal system with no lawyer, no experience, and everything on the line. Condozilla is a gripping story that doubles as a survival guide for anyone navigating legal disputes without professional help.
A masterclass in self-advocacy, packed with hard-won Canada-specific strategies
About the Author
Andrea Mai is a legally blind Canadian artist and writer. Her work explores heritage, identity, and resilience, themes shaped by her experience as the daughter of immigrants and a pivotal legal battle over her parent’s Canadian condo.
Diary of a Self-Rep is a personal account of representing myself in court in Canada. The blog documents the real experience of navigating litigation without a lawyer, including disputes with a condominium corporation and the challenges faced by self-represented litigants.
Disclaimer
This blog is a personal diary of my experiences as a self-represented litigant. It reflects my personal observations, opinions, and experiences only.Nothing on this site should be interpreted as legal advice, and it should not be relied upon as such.
(c) 2026 Andrea Mai. All rights reserved. Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them — at no extra cost to you.