Top Ten Tips for Appearing in Court

While many family law cases settle before the need for a contested hearing/trial, sometimes a trial is necessary.  Having experienced counsel is always important when getting ready for trial, but there are things you can do on your own to help ensure that you make the most out of your court experience.  Below you will find 10 tips to success!

1. Be Prepared.  It is your attorney’s job to ask you questions and review your testimony in advance of any trial, but it is your job to play an active role in that process.  Practice your testimony on your own.  Take notes.  Put forth time and effort towards making sure you can convey necessary information as effectively as possible.
2. Be on Time.  In a court room, everything matters, even simple things like showing up on time at the beginning of the day and after lunch.
3. Dress the Part.  Dressing in a suit or other formal business attire shows that your matter is important to you.
4. Try and Be Well Rested.  You will likely be nervous before testifying, so do what you need to do to make sure you can get a good night’s sleep prior to your testimony.  This will help you stay sharp!
5. Bring Supplies.  You never know how long you are going to be given for a lunch break, or, what you and your attorney may need to do over the lunch break.  Accordingly, if you bring food with you to court, you can utilize your break to your advantage.
6. Control your Body Language.  Again, in a court room, everything matters.  That includes your demeanor, your body language, your facial expressions, etc.
7. Don’t Make Other Plans.  If you normally pick up a child after school, make alternative arrangements.  The last thing you want to have to be doing is asking the court for special accommodations when you have known about a court date for months.
8. Consider Who You Bring.  Sometimes people want to bring friends/family.  While it is certainly normal to want to have some support with you, remember that your friends/family can have an impact too.  Who is sitting in the back of the court room in your favor reflects who you are too.
9. Take a Break.  It is reasonable to want or need a break during your testimony, and so long as you don’t abuse it, asking for a brief recess is perfectly alright.  Sometimes you may wish to do so if only to collect your thoughts.
10. Relax.  When you go home after testifying, you will almost surely want to replay your testimony over and over.  Try and do something relaxing to focus your thoughts on something else.