Attorney to do eviction

I've read on some other law forums that landlords should get an attorney to do an eviction "for" them. Does that mean an attorney can appear in court without the landlord to do this? In this case, the tenant is a little scary, and since I used to be friends with the tenant, that would be great if I didn't have to see him in court. Do I have to be there or can the attorney go alone?

[OHlandlord]

This depends on your state and your court's rules. In most places, the LL can do the entire eviction for you. In some states you must appear in case the tenant shows and wishes the court to get information from you. Call the attorney (look for one that specializes in evictions and does them for a flat fee). Explain the situation to him. He may be able to handle everything so you don't even have to show. It also sometimes depends on why you are evicting. If it is for a simple non-payment of rent, an attorney could easily handle that with your rent records. If it is for lease violations, you may need to be there to explain the violation and how you notified them to correct it.