Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

No

No

Re: Family Member Advocate

The only person that may speak for an individual is him/her self or an attorney. In the case of children or handicapped persons, spouses, family members, and or friends very often speak in open court to the judge to inform the court about certain aspects of the case. They may also be more involved in the legal processes than a mere spectator. Children and handicapped people have access to the Public Defender's Office to represent them.

Re: Family Member Advocate

No one can represent another unless that person is a member of the state bar in good standing. The trend of the public to access the courts unrepresented is foolish and a great miscarriage of justice will ensue as well as injury to judicial economy.