Family law attorney, Edra J. Pollin, recently wrote an article on www.huffintonpost.com titled, “My Top Ten List Of What Not To Do In Divorce Court.” Ms. Pollin suggests that judicial determinations are often based on factors other than legal argument and evidence. Particularly, Ms. Pollin suggests judges often look to the way parties behave while in the court room. As a Jacksonville Family Law Lawyer, I could not agree more.
The following list consists of what NOT to do while in front of a judge.
(1) Do not roll your eyes, mutter under your breath or otherwise gesticulate when your spouse is testifying.
(2) Do not keep referring to your child as “my” son or “my” daughter.
(3) Make sure that you’ve disclosed relevant and potentially embarrassing personal facts to your attorney early on in the case.
(4) Don’t bring your entire extended family and ten of your closet friends to your divorce hearing.
(5) Don’t wear your torn blue jeans, your muscle shirt or your mini skirt to divorce court.
(6) Do not be rendered speechless if you’re asked to describe the positive aspects of your spouse’s parenting.
(7) Don’t display open hostility toward your spouse’s attorney.
(8) Don’t read or receive text messages during the hearing.
(9) In a child custody dispute, don’t keep talking about “your” needs and “your” desires.
(10) Don’t tell long winded stories with irrelevant details of your spousal disputes.
If you are contemplating divorce or were recently served divorce papers, contact a Jacksonville Divorce Lawyer today to discuss your options as it may be possible to avoid a court hearing all together.