Can a defendant in a personal injury action ask a court to allow his counsel to assist in the presentation of his case?

6 At oral argument, the appellant relied exclusively on People v. Dale, supra, and insisted it stood for the proposition a court had no discretion to allow a defendant to assist his counsel in the presentation of his case. Later, upon further questioning by the court, the appellant conceded a court could exercise discretion in this context, but only if the appellant's request was made at the beginning of the proceeding. This is an inaccurate understanding of the law.