Small claims court is specifically oriented towards self-representation and not requiring hiring an attorney.
Not requiring a lawyer and not doing your due diligence aren't mutually exclusive.
Just because you don't need a lawyer doesn't mean it's not in your best interest to get one.
A lawyer isn't going to hallucinate case law that doesn't exist. And if THEIR AI does? THEY'RE on the hook, not you.
Yes, but there are free resources available that guide you on how to go through the process without consulting a hallucination machine.
Judges don't like their time being wasted, and they doubly don't like plaintiffs and defendants who don't even go to the effort of trying to follow decorum.
And, I'm just throwing this one out here; contempt of court is one of the vanishingly few civil offenses you can be held in custody for.