Courthouse Savvy

Remember when your Lamaze teacher told you to take a tour of the hospital before you gave birth?

Well Divorce Information NOW is giving you the same advice for the divorce process... it is a good idea to visit the courthouse. Unless you have had a driving ticket or been on jury duty, you haven't been to a courthouse recently and your divorce court isn't going to be anything like Divorce Court on TV.

Advance Prep

Get your ducks in a row. Look on the court calendar and determine which motion/s are being heard. Gather any documents needed for that date. Confirm that any witness' or experts who will be testifying are available. Give your lawyer a list of things you think are important to mention in court. If you want to talk to your lawyer about what's being heard in court go see him now. If you have children get someone to watch them and make sure they have food. You might not be able to check on them.

The Day Before

Many courts don't allow food, water, cameras or cell phones with cameras, just to mention a few possible restrictions. Look on the website or call the court to find out in advance so that you dont have to forfeit your drink or be required to bring your cell back to the car. Gather the paperwork you plan to take with you. Be sure to have your lawyers contact information.

Court has a lot of downtime-bring work/entertainment. Courts are cold, so prepare accordingly. Bring a notebook and pen to take notes or pass you lawyer notes in court. Ask your lawyer what court room you will be meeting in and at what time.

The Day Of

1. Always give yourself extra time to drive to court. There is no need to be nervous about being late.

2. Courts today have security often like an airport so expect to take off a jacket, belt and empty pockets.You can also expect to be "wanded" or go through a metal detector. All this takes time,  particularily at the beginning of the day when most people are called to court. Give yourself time for this process.

3. The front desk also usually has a listing of your case, organized by your name or your lawyers name, with a notification of which courtroom you are assigned to.

4. The court day is divided into one lunch break, usually an hour, and two "coffee breaks" of approximately 15 minutes each. But all of this is at the judge's discretion.

5. Turn off your cell in the court room. A ringing cell will infuriate a judge.

6. Now just sit in a courtroom. Listen to some cases. Watch how the judges and lawyers interact. Listen to how testimony is given and how lawyers ask questions.

7. Going to court is never going to be a comfortable experience.  But if "familiarity breeds contempt" is an applicable aphorism when related to relationships it holds true just a little for the court experience.

What's the message? Go to court as often as it takes for you to be quasi comfortable with the process.

"Divorce Information Now" is an ongoing column where readers can submit questions about divorce in the comment stream and we will respond in subsequent blogs. We also post articles of interest written by experts in the field of divorce that are interesting and informative.

Find us at www.divorceinformationnow.com.