Tips To Be Prepared for Family Court

Posted on January 7, 2013 by About The Children LLC — 3 Comments

Going to court can be intimidating if you’ve never had to go through the experience. If you’re a first timer, it’s time to educate yourself on what to expect, what the first steps are, what happens during court, how to behave in the court room etc. If you’re not a rookie, a good refresher course never hurt anyone. The end result here is an outcome that benefits your kids not necessarily yourself. It sounds simple on paper but it’s easy to lose track of things with everyone’s emotions are flying around. By this I mean that if, in the end, you don’t get exactly what you’re fighting for and the child goes with the other parent to live with primarily, step back and look at things objectively and make sure the child is happy and well cared for regardless of anything else.

Knowing when you’re going to court. We’re obviously past the negotiation phase of things here and now you’re awaiting notification of your court date. If this is the first you’ve heard about going to court and you had no idea this was coming, you’ve just been served. Whether you knew about it or not doesn’t matter. What does matter are the details of this information. Pay attention to when your case is scheduled to go in front of the judge, missing this would be bad for you and your child. If you miss your court date, the judge can make what’s called a default decision. Essentially, the party present at court gets what they’re petitioning for because nobody is there to contest what is requested. If you need to move your court date to a later date, make sure you do it properly. Check with your local county clerk’s office to find out more or look on your state our county’s website; these sites usually end in “.gov”.

Looking like you mean business. In a perfect world it wouldn’t matter what you wear, this is not the case however. Wearing formal attire not only shows the judge that you care about your appearance and the outcome of your case i.e. your child, but it can also make you feel better as well. When you look good, you feel good, simple as that. This might mean going out and buying a suit, dress, tie, shoes whatever you need to walk in the court room looking like a million bucks. Appearances aside though, when you step up in front of the judge to present your argument to him/her, looking and sounding like you know what you’re talking about is a huge part of all this. The judge is most likely going to have already read your argument in his chambers before stepping into the court room. He knows what you want and why you want it, presenting this properly goes a long way. As with anything else, knowing what you’re getting into will help you out in the long run. Arming yourself with knowledge and acting practically will do more than finger pointing and name calling.

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