Going to divorce court? Things you need to know.

It’s not just a show: Tips and tricks for real life.

• Review the local court rules (go to the county’s website where your matter is filed, it is usually found there). Take the rules very seriously. Make sure to follow all of them.
• Show up on time (rather, go ahead and show up 15 minutes ahead of time).
• Dress professionally.
• Create an organized binder for your court documents (yes, with labels and all). This will make it easier to find your documents whether you are calm or super nervous.
• Create an outline about what you want to tell the judge before you go and take that with you. Make sure you are not writing everything out – literally just the highlights (you will be too nervous and will get interrupted by the judge to read it).
• Do not make faces (including shaking your head and eye brow raises), noises (yes, that includes sighs), or anything else that could be seen as slightly inappropriate by the judge. The court has zero tolerance for this behavior. Better yet, make sure that any support group that comes with you to court abides by these rules as well.
• Do not interrupt the judge. There is a fine line between being argumentative and being assertive. Don’t piss off the judge (or they will literally make you take a time out and your credibility will be shot).

If you need more information about this topic let me know.