Whether you’re facing a minor traffic ticket, a DWI, or your divorce case, you want to behave properly in court. From dealing with your attorney, to the other lawyers, to most importantly– the judge. In these cases, you want to be polite and avoid doing anything that could further harm your case. So here’s some basic rules of courtroom courtesy.
Courtroom Courtesy
Don’t Talk To The Other Party’s Attorney
One part of courtroom courtesy that will help your case, is to avoid talking to the other party’s attorney. For the most part, this will be the duty of your own lawyer. Your lawyer can serve as a middle man or go between. In which case, if you have anything to discuss with the other party, your attorney can speak with them. One exception may be if you’ve already talked to your attorney and they advised you to speak with them personally. But for the most part, it’s a good rule just to allow your lawyer to be the middle man.
Never Interrupt the Judge
Possibly the most important form of courtroom courtesy is to make sure you never interrupt the judge. At times, you may want the opportunity to speak, to defend your case, or plead your cause. But do not, under any circumstances, interrupt the judge. Instead, wait your turn as he or she will give you the opportunity to speak. And when you do, make sure you are polite.
Don’t Interrupt the Opposing Party
Likewise, you don’t want to interrupt the opposing party either. While they may say things you don’t agree with or aren’t true, you’ll be itching to speak out and defend yourself. However, interrupting to do so is not the right move so you need to fight that urge in court.
Come Prepared
As a good policy for courtroom courtesy, you want come as prepared as possible. That means, having the correct documents, with plenty of copies on hand. Actually, the more prepared you come, the better your case may look. But this can all be confusing so your attorney should assist in making sure you’re ready for your case.
In short, you want to remain polite and respectful to make sure you are practicing courtroom courtesy. From the way you talk to how you dress, you want to make a good impression. That begins with respecting your judge, the courtroom, and the legal process as a whole.