Who can I represent?

Usually you can represent only yourself in court. You cannot represent another person. To represent another person, you must usually be a lawyer licensed in Utah. There are some exceptions, described below.

Supreme Court Rule of Professional Practice 14-802.

 

Businesses

Most businesses are legally "persons," and must be represented by a lawyer. Someone who is not a lawyer cannot represent a corporation, partnership or other business entity.

For example, the manager of an apartment building cannot represent the property owner in an eviction. If the property is owned by a business, a lawyer must represent the business because the business itself is a "person." If the property is owned by an individual person, the owner can represent themselves.

 

Parent or guardian

A parent or guardian can "appear" on behalf of a minor child or protected person, which means the parent takes the place of the child. Usually a parent or guardian cannot "represent" a child or a protected person.

In juvenile court, someone can ask the judge for permission to represent a child or protected person.

In a request for a child protective order any "interested" person may file for a protective order on behalf of the child. Utah Code 78B-7-202.

 

Small claims cases

In small claims cases, a party can represent themselves, be represented by a Utah lawyer, or be represented by an employee of a company. The court can also give permission for a non-lawyer to represent someone as long as the non-lawyer is not being paid. Utah Rule of Small Claims Procedure 13.

For the special rules about representing a party in a small claims case, see our webpage on Small Claims.

 

Licensed Paralegal Practitioner

A licensed paralegal practitioner can help a person do many things in some kinds of court cases, but cannot represent a person in court. For a list of things that a licensed paralegal practitioner can do see the Licensed Paralegal Practitioner page.

 

Powers of Attorney

The question of whether or not a Power of Attorney document allows someone to represent someone else in court proceedings can be complicated. You are encouraged to talk to a licensed Utah lawyer. See the Finding Legal Help web page for information about the free and low cost ways to get the help of a lawyer.