Pro Se is a legal term used for someone who opts to represent himself/herself either in a criminal or civil court proceeding in filing motions, questioning witnesses and arguing their cases. While Pro Se is the proper term for it in New York, other jurisdictions call it Pro Per. A popular phrase associated with this is "He/she who represents himself/herself has a fool for a client." This is because self-representation is considered the most foolish act in the legal profession because private citizens don't have as much knowledge of the legal system at their disposal and don't have the same resources an attorney has to research and prepare for their case.