Dealing with a divorce case can be stressful. No one ever expects to end up divorced when they first get married. Unfortunately, it happens all the time. If you are dealing with a divorce case, you want to make sure you make a good impression on the court. The last thing you want is to end up on the judge's bad side because of something simple you could have avoided in the first place. To help you get through your court case, here are three simple courtroom etiquette rules you need to follow.
Turn your phone off.
Any electronic device should be powered off before going into the courtroom. If you are worried about missing out on an important call, the very least you should do is put them on silent. Do not put them on vibrate. The vibrating noise can be quite annoying and it is actually louder than what you might think. The noise is amplified even further if your phone is sitting on the table or pushed against the chair. You want to minimize distractions as much as you can.
Avoiding chewing on anything.
While you might think there is nothing wrong with putting a piece of gum or a throat lozenge in your mouth, it is actually quite distracting. Not only does it make it harder for the judge to be able to understand you, but it can be quite rude as well. If you are under the weather and need a lozenge, you need to ask the judge for their permission first. This way you aren't disturbing anyone.
Remain courteous at all times.
Even though you might not agree with everything being said in your case, you want to remain courteous to the judge at all costs. Don't continue arguing once the judge has made their ruling. It will be viewed as disrespectful and could find you in contempt of the court. You don't want to land behind bars because you were arguing with the judge over their ruling on who gets what assets or when you can spend time with your children. There are better ways to take care of this than arguing with the judge.
Above all else, ask your attorney if you have any questions or concerns about what you should or shouldn't be doing in your family law case. This will save you a lot of time and hassle along the way.
For more information and assistance with your case, talk with family law attorneys, such as those at Margit M. Hicks, PA Attorney at Law.
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