My landlord tried to evict me a few months back. I retained a lawyer, we put in a motion to dismiss, and the case was “withdrawn with prejudice.” My landlord signed an agreement in court saying he would offer me a new, legal lease under the law.
Well, my landlord keeps giving me leases to sign that are not legal and keeps demanding back rent which he is not entitled to. Now he says he is taking me to court again to evict me.
I spoke to a lawyer about this and was told that, at this point, the case is fairly simple and that I could represent myself in court so that I do not have to keep paying a lawyer. I asked him if this was safe and he said to me that I am a pretty smart guy and would be okay representing myself in court at this point.
1. Is it okay to represent myself in court, and
2. Where can I learn the basics about representing myself in NYC Housing/Civil court?