If you need to appear in court regarding your divorce, it can be a nerve-wracking time. Our family mediation specialist in Perth, Ian Shann, has written his top tips for how to prepare for a court appearance for your divorce to help you through your court appearances.
Do Your Research
Be fully prepared for your court appearance by doing as much research as possible. Know what will be discussed, what potential evidence you will need to provide, and what you will say.
Organise Your Documents
Go through all your documents and organise them effectively, in a way that works for you.
You could group certain kinds of documents together, use a colour code system or sticky notes to make key points or documents stand out.
Attend A Hearing To Prepare
If you’ve never been to a hearing before, it can help to attend a court hearing to watch how it works and what the process is.
Familiarising yourself with how your appearance will work practically and what sort of questions and topics are discussed can help you understand the process better and feel ready for your own court appearance.
Dress Suitably
While there are no rules about what to wear to court, remember that it is a formal place.
Pick a suitable outfit before the day and make sure it is ready to wear. You could ask a friend to help you pick something appropriate for your court appearance if you want a second opinion.
Arrange Child Care
Children are not generally allowed to attend court appearances so make sure you’ve arranged childcare for the time you’ll be in court.
Ask a family member or friend to watch them, and make sure they are happy to have them even if your appearance overruns, as your case may be delayed or take longer than expected.
Find Out Where You Are Going
Knowing where you are going will take away a lot of stress on the day and ensure you don’t get lost. Getting lost can make you flustered or late (or both!) and you definitely want to avoid both of these.
Find a map of your court buildings online and mark out where you are going – even better if you can visit it ahead of your court appearance so you know exactly where to go on the day.
Bring A Support Person
You are allowed to bring a support person with you to your court appearance for your divorce. If this would be useful to you, ask someone you know and trust who would be willing to accompany you on the day.
They aren’t allowed to talk or interfere in the proceedings but just having someone there can be a great comfort.
Want To Avoid Going To Court For Your Divorce?
Would you rather avoid going to court when it comes to your separation or divorce?
Convinced there must be a better way to move on quickly that doesn’t cost tens of thousands of dollars?
There is – family mediation.
Ian Shann has helped a multitude of clients over the years to separate and divorce amicably and affordably.
Call Ian on 0418 928 448 today or contact us online here now.