Important: former employee took trade secrets

Quick background on my situation — any input appreciated.

former employee took trade secrets. I've been dealing with this for about 8 months now and the situation isn't improving.

This involves content I created over the past 9 months. I do have documentation proving my ownership and timeline.

Should I hire a lawyer for this or try to handle it myself?

Following this thread — bump -- also need to know this

Have you tried reaching out to your state's legal aid society? They sometimes have free resources or mediation services.