Whether you’ve been the victim of a serious crime or you’re simply trying to navigate the complicated waters of a broken down relationships, there are plenty of reasons that you might find yourself having to go to court. Whatever the reason is it can be a pretty scary experience overall. Even the idea of going to court is enough to make a lot of people nervous since they often imagine it to be like something from TV, filled with tension and confusion. While the representation of a court case in TV and movies isn’t always completely inaccurate, it’s safe to say that it’s hardly the best way to represent what it’s actually like. If you’re set to spend some time in court soon, and you’re feeling nervous or confused, here are a few things that you can expect to happen.
Who you’ll need there
The most obvious person that you will need present in court with you is your legal representative. There are plenty of people who choose to represent themselves, but it really is the best option to hire a lawyer to guide you through the entire process. They are professionals who are well versed in every aspect of the law and will be able to make sure that you don’t make any mistakes that could harm your case in any way. You may also have a court reporter from a firm like https://naegeliusa.com/seattle/ present as well. This is to help provide support to your lawyer and help your case by providing audio and visual evidence and support to go along with your testimony or claims.
How you should behave
Being in court in the first place is a pretty stressful experience, and once the case is underway, it’s not very likely that those stress levels are going to decrease. In fact, there’s a decent chance that the pressure is just going to keep piling on through your day in court. The best thing that you can do is to make sure that you stay calm no matter what happens. Always address everyone, especially the judge, with respect and do your best to avoid getting angry even if you’re feeling frustrated or upset. Treat everyone in the room courteously and make sure that you always speak clearly enough to be heard by everyone.
Who hears the case
In a serious criminal case then there will always be a jury who hears the case. This is a group of people who are selected to be as impartial as possible. This means that you won’t know any of them and they will have been carefully screened to avoid any pre-conceived prejudices impacting their decision. However, if it’s a smaller civil case, then there’s a good chance that the judge is the only one who needs to hear the case. A jury can only come to a decision if they feel that a case has been proven “beyond reasonable doubt” but a judge simply listens to the testimony and evidence presented and then chooses which party’s story they consider to be the most likely based on that evidence.
