Being suied and suing back

[matilton]

Do I need an attorney? Do I have enough for a counter suit? My direct neighbor (ex-friend) may be suing me on a personal law suit for money owed to her, approximately $1200 towards an agreed credit card charge. I stopped making payments after she assaulted my 12 year old son. I tried to work it out with her but she only wants things on her terms. I asked her to pay/credit the amount that I feel she owes us due to her act (medical$200, lost wages$150 and hopefully some pain and suffering, I only asked for $700 total). My son playingly tossed a small football that hit my neighbor in back. she got angry, cursed him, chased him into our garage and then out into the yard and threw numerous items at him until hitting him with a metal tile grouting tool (he had just had his cast removed on the same arm a few days earlier from a broken wrist. He felt instant pain,got bruised and scraped. Even after this, he tried to apologize to her for the ball hitting her, she would not hear it and would not even speak to him. She says he got what he deserved and she was the victim here. She has verbally attacked me outside of our homes slandering my kids and myself as a parent, she has called the police for several false complaints, and calls our neighborhood association for anything that she can. The police dept says it's retaliation since she was arrested for "aggrevated assault on a minor". My son feared crossing in front of her home to go to school, someone he trusted became so vicious with him. He felt very uncomfortable for a long period of time, we had to have several talks till he was okay with the whole ordeal. Do I need an attorney if she takes me to court? Do I have cause for a counter suit and is it fair for me to ask for what I am asking? Do I need an attorney for this side of things? I wonder because I really don't have the funds for an attorney but I would like to be prepared. Thank you. -Marie Matilton