Support in Court :: How to prepare for a day in court

We offer help and support for anyone facing a family court hearing or courtroom appearance who wishes to improve both their performance in the family court and their chances of success. We also offer McKenzie  Friend Support  if you are representing yourself in court (a litigant in person) and if you wish to have someone to support you in court.

You’ve never been in court before. You don’t know what to expect but images of legal wrangling and bitter disputes fill your head. You know there’s a good chance you may break down. You may even forget your story because deep down, whilst you know you’re right, you also know that if you lose, you’ll lose a lot and you can’t even bear to think about that.

Who offers emotional and practical support to the person going to court?

If they’re lucky they’ll find some support from:

• Family? But they’ll be worried too and this may exacerbate feelings of anxiety.
  
• Their friends? Have their friends been to court? If they have, what was the reason for the appearance? Was it similar? Are their platitudes designed to genuinely help their friend, or remove themselves from an uncomfortable situation?
  
• Their lawyer? They’ll be focusing on the legal aspects.  

Many people initially feel confident because they know they are ‘right’ - not fully appreciating that they are going to court because the other side will also be confident about being ‘right.’ They often don’t realise that the judge has the unenviable task of deciding who is the most ‘right’ - based on the facts in front of the court. The reliability of these facts may be dependent on a witness giving clear, factual and honest answers to the questions. Simple? It should be but many people are thrown by rigorous cross-examination which sows doubt as to the evidence in the mind of both the person being questioned - and the judge.

Although going to court is not easy, people can learn techniques in advance to make the experience more comfortable. These include:

• Being better prepared in advance about court procedure.  
• Familiarising themselves with the court in advance.
• Learning techniques to deal with emotions when they get flustered or confused, e.g. knowing when to ask for questions to be repeated to give them time to think properly, or when to ask for a break before getting sidetracked or angry. 

Because courts are an alien place for most people it is hardly surprising cases often fall down because of the under performance of the client on the day. People under-estimate how different they will feel. They expect their lawyer to help them but their lawyer will prepare their legal case, but is not normally trained to help them prepare emotionally, or put it behind them afterwards. How many people do you know who still hark back to a court hearing or to litigation from which they have not moved on? If they didn’t ‘perform’ as well as they expected they may continue to beat themselves up, unable to put it behind them. 

Support in Court services offers help and support for anyone facing a courtroom appearance -  to improve both their performance in court and improve their chances of success. Support is focused on the personal experience in court, how the individual and their family are affected by it and how to cope with the process. It provides the client with techniques that prepare them emotionally, psychologically and physically for a court appearance.

The advantages of Support in Court are:

·  To the individual:

  Reduced anxiety.

  Increased control.

  More prepared for court appearance.

  Able to “perform” better on the day.

  Know how to get there and what to expect.

  Opportunity to ask questions.

·  To the lawyers:

  Reduced time preparing client.

  Able to focus on the case in hand.

  Reduced cost of preparation of client.

  Considered caring by client by offering this service.

  More confident client will “perform” on the day.

·  To the courts:

  Reduced amount of time spent waiting for
   individuals.

  Parties are more focused on the matter in hand.

  Ability to get through case quicker.

  Parties cope better. 

Support in Court has been very successful in the South West and London with the support of lawyers, judges and court staff. Accredited mediator and lawyer Shelagh Goldie  knows how to help people prepare for their experience in court and has spent months gathering information from people attending court, their lawyers and courtroom personnel. Read some case studies here.

It’s important to note that we prepare clients for their experience in the family court and under no circumstances do we rehearse the evidence, coach or discuss the evidence or detail of the case. 

This is how we can help:

• If you are facing the prospect of going to a family court, we can help you to prepare emotionally, psychologically and physically for the event and after. Courts are an alien place for most people and it is hardly surprising cases often fall down because of the under performance of the client on the day. 
  
• If you are a lawyer, do you or your colleagues have clients who would benefit from being supported during the case and - if necessary - after by helping them put it behind them once the case is complete? Do you have experience of clients going to pieces in court regardless of how well they have been prepared? 

Why not contact us now to discuss how we can make a courtroom appearances a more positive experience.