What do I need to know when I go in a courtroom?

What do I need to know when I go into a courtroom?

1. The Judge is in charge. You obey the Judge.

2. Your lawyer will speak for you to the Judge. He speaks, asks questions, objects, argues, shouts, and prays on your behalf.

3. You speak when you are asked questions by your lawyer, the other lawyer, or the Judge. You speak when questioned, you stop when you answered the question or you hear someone say, "Objection".

4. You will tell your story in question and answer form. In other words, your lawyer (or the Judge) asks questions, and you give answers. The plan is for you to tell your story by telling facts and answering the questions.

5. Tell the facts and not opinions. This means the Judge does not want to hear that you think your spouse is a lousy parent; the Judge wants to hear that on July 1st, your spouse was drunk, hit you, and knocked you down in front of the children. The Judge will then decide, based on these facts, whether your spouse is a good parent.

6. You answer a question and then stop talking, you do not try to convince the other side you are right. Your spouse's lawyer is being paid a lot of money and will never believe you are right (until the money runs out).

7. After being sworn in as a witness, you do not talk to other witnesses about the facts or the case or anything related about the case. This may disqualify your testimony, prevent others from testifying, and kill your case. Talk about Dallas Cowboy football or something else.

8. Above all else, keep your cool. Don't let them see you sweat, look discouraged, or look apologetic. The facts, just the facts, and let the Judge make his ruling.

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