What To Do If You Have To Go To Court
What To Do If You Have To Go To Court
There are many reasons you might need to go to court, but a few essential things you need to know to get through it without a scratch.
Written by Liz Bayardelle, PhD | See Comments | Updated 06/30/2021
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What To Do If You Have To Go To Court
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There are many reasons you might need to go to court, and most people will have to do so at least once in their life. You might be a claimant or a defendant, or even part of a jury, and depending on what position you are in, this will obviously affect what you need to do. There are, however, a few essential things which it is good to bear in mind, as they are going to help you to know what to do when you do have to go to court. Let’s take a look at some of these right now.
Find A Lawyer
Of course it depends, but much of the time if you are going to court, you will need to find a lawyer to represent you - or to help you with a claim that you might be trying to make if you are doing that. When you are looking for a lawyer, there are many qualities that you might be willing to look out for, but the main thing is probably that you feel you can trust them. You’ll want to look at their past history, their testimonials, and what kind of experience they have with cases like yours.
Get To Know The Process
There are a lot of procedural things that you should try to become aware of if you are due to be in court. The more of these that you know, and the more fully you know them, the more likely it is that you are going to be able to make the most of being in court. You are also going to find it easier to get what you need out of the process this way too, and you will find it easier to know how to spot an abuse of process, amongst other potential issues. So the more research you can do beforehand, the better equipped you will be.
Dress Well
In all cases, regardless of why you are going to court, you will need to make sure that you are dressing as well as you can. There are no rules around what you can and can’t wear in court, apart from the fact that you can’t cover your head except for religious reasons. However, the smarter your appearance, the more likely it is that people are going to take you seriously, and the better a chance you will have of things going your way. Be sure to dress smartly and conservatively, if possible.
Security
There will always be security at court. You should never feel as though you are going to be threatened or like you might be in danger, and that is part of why the security is there in the first place. Although it can be concerning to go to court, you should rest assured that you are not going to come to any harm, and reminding yourself of this is likely going to make a huge difference to how you approach the whole experience. You should never come to harm.
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About the Author
Liz Bayardelle, PhD
Founder | Contributor
Liz (or Dr. Mommy, as her toddler started calling her after learning what a PhD was) is the happily sleep-deprived mom of a toddler (and professional raccoon noise impersonator), a sparkle-clad kidnado, a teenage stepdaughter, 200 cumulative pounds of dog, and herd of dustbunnies (if daily vacuuming doesn't occur). During nights and naptimes, she uses her PhD in business psychology as an author, speaker, and consultant. She also serves as an executive and principal for three companies, two of which she co-founded with her very patient (and equally exhausted) husband.