Surviving Your Day In Court

Whether you’re the defendant or part of the prosecution, whether it’s a matter of money or could mean jail time, appearing in court is always a very stressful experience. Seen as you’re reading this, you’ve probably got a lot riding on the case and all kinds of uncertainties weighing on your mind. Here, we’ve listed some invaluable tips for getting through your first day in court with your sanity intact.

Image source: Wikimedia

Don’t Pursue a Case Out of Spite

This is perhaps one of the most important tips for anyone considering legal action, and yet one which totally passes a lot of people by. A courtroom, a respected institute of the law, is generally one of the worst places to exercise your spite or appetite for revenge on a person or organisation. If you bring a lawsuit to the court that lacks any real merit, solely for the purpose of embarrassing a person or entity, they can turn this on you by suing you for pursuing your lawsuit for malicious reasons or abusing the legal system. You may be justifiably bitter about the case you’re involved in, but make sure you’re not letting this cloud your judgement and getting you into an even worse situation.

Don’t Lose Control of Your Case

Obviously, in order to make sure your case goes as smoothly as possible, you’ll hire a professional lawyer with experience in the specific practice area, for example, Karen Cain for child custody disputes and the Law Office of Henry Queener for car accident claims. All competent lawyers will communicate openly with their clients and give them a high degree of control over the case, but unfortunately, you may not get a competent lawyer. Remember that the case your attorney is working on is your case. You’re the client, you’re paying their fee, and you should have a good degree of control over how things go. Obviously, you’re not a legal professional, and there are going to be a lot of things you should leave to your attorney. However, it’s essential to stay informed on every little facet of the case, avoid taking unnecessary risks and generally have a good handle on your strategy on the day of the hearing. If you ever feel like your lawyer is manipulating things for their own benefit, jump on this as soon as possible.

Don’t Risk More than You Can Lose

Just like gambling, if you risk more than you can afford to lose in your case, it can come back to bite you in a very serious way. When it comes to litigation, it can often be hard to be sure of how much you might lose. Before you charge into your trial, you need to take some time to analyse your finances and talk to your attorney in order to determine just how much you can lose. Even cases that your attorney calls a “sure winner” have a chance of backfiring, leading to serious monetary damages. Although it may be tempting in some situations, never risk more than you can afford.