Facts
The appellant [C.] had filed an appeal against the decision of the Social Insurance Court of the Canton of Zurich of 10 March 2008. The appellant was represented by Adrian J. Bacchini of Bacchus Consulting. The appeal concerned invalidity insurance and the granting of free representation.
The Social Insurance Court of the Canton of Zurich had rejected the application for free representation. The appellant had claimed that he was entitled to free representation because he was not in a position to represent himself.
The Federal Court had to decide whether the appellant was entitled to free representation and whether the appeal was to be dismissed.
Considerations
The Federal Court stated that free representation in administrative proceedings and before the Social Insurance Court of the Canton of Zurich is reserved for licensed lawyers. However, the appellant had been represented by Adrian J. Bacchini, who is not a licensed lawyer.
The Federal Court found that the appellant had expressed his objections clearly enough in the preliminary decision procedure and in the cantonal appeal procedure and therefore did not need free representation. The application for free representation was rejected.
The Federal Court…