How to Get Ready for Your Trial

You are nervous. Your trial date is here. Your palms are sweaty and your stomach feels sick. How did it ever get this far, you think. Why wasn’t I able to settle my case in mediation? You were a reasonable one. You just wanted things to be fair. But your spouse would not agree to any of your very fair proposals. Now you must go to trial and put your case before a Judge. A judge hears the evidence in a few hours of the day. The Judge will then be making large, life-changing decisions about your children and your money and property. That is why you are so scared today. You won’t be as nervous if you are ready for your trial. Being nervous in court is natural but being ready can help you be able to convey your side of things and ultimately serve you better.

I don’t want to just tell you to “relax, it will all be ok.” Instead, I want to give you a few pointers of the steps to take to prepare yourself for your trial.

Ready for Your Trial Pointers

First, dress up a little for Court. You don’t have to wear a suit and a tie, but dress up in a nice outfit that makes you feel that you look your best and will make a good impression on the Judge.
Think about the “theme” for your trial. You and your attorney have practiced and discussed your case and your trial. What is the main theme that you want to get across to the Judge?
You are the star witness. Your testimony at trial is incredibly important. The Judge will be hanging on your every word.
Speak up and stick to the point because you have a lot of ground to cover in a short amount of time. Don’t go off on tangents.
Your attorney has prepared a Trial Memorandum for the Judge to read before the trial. However, that trial memorandum and your attorney’s opening speech is not evidence. It is your responsibility to testify about all of the things that are important in your case. Your testimony is evidence. Don’t forget anything.
Your attorney will also introduce documents into evidence that you will discuss at trial. Review the documents beforehand. Be comfortable with the Exhibits and how they will be used to present your case to the Judge.
Bring in eyewitness if you have them. Witnesses are people who have seen or heard important things with their own eyes and ears, not second or third hand from someone else.
Remember that you are telling a story that goes with your theme, you always want to come back to this story and theme to make your point and make your story vivid and stick in the Judge’s mind.
Keep it like Kindergarten. Tell it very simply and tell it again. You know this stuff really well. But the Judge is hearing it for the first time and is taking in a lot of evidence at once. Go slow, keep the concepts simple and repeat. You can never be too simple. Otherwise, the Judge will miss things and not understand your evidence.
Be likable. Smile and look pleasant both when you are on the witness stand and when you are off it. Remember that the Judge is looking at you from across the room as you are sitting next to your attorney. If you are making faces because you don’t like what the current witness is saying, the Judge will not appreciate it. Keep your emotions in check.
Make sure your family and friends are not making faces in the back of the courtroom. I have seen family members kicked out of court for bad behavior.
Tell the truth, but tell it in the way to put it in the best light. There are many different ways, to tell the truth, and tell the same story. You will practice with your attorney.
Ask questions of your attorney beforehand, be sure that you understand the process. Find out where the courthouse is, what Judge, and what room to go to. Arrive early.
All you can do is your best. All your attorney can do is her best. At the end of the trial, the Judge will make the final decision and it will probably be in a range of what your attorney told you from best case to worst case. Likely it will be a hodgepodge some things going your way and others not. But it will be over, and you will have closure and can go home.