If it is necessary to have an attorney represent you in a court case, is the legal system fair and just?

I work for attorneys. Some of our defendants do not retain lawyers and instead choose to represent themselves. Good for the opposing attorney, but pretty much universally bad the person in pro per. They never know what they are doing and they end up screwing themselves.

So, if the legal system is so convoluted, and only someone who went to 3 years of law school can figure out how to navigate through the system, is the legal system fair?