Practicing Law: 6 Tips for Your First Court Appearance

You went to law school and worked for a judge during the summers. They offered him the job of his dreams in the big company downtown. You studied and passed the bar exam. You are a practicing attorney! But now you find yourself standing outside the courtroom, staring out the window at the intimidating figure in the black robe, wondering why you ever thought this was a good idea.

Whether you are a family attorney or criminal attorney, practice business law, or represent condo associations, at some point in your legal career the above scenario will present itself. Then what do you do? Here are five things that can help:

1) Prepare, prepare, prepare. There is no defense like a good offense. If this is your first time in court, you should never over-prepare. I don’t care if you are there to schedule a hearing and the opposing party will not be there. There is always the possibility that the judge will ask you a question about the case. The situation you most want to avoid as a practicing attorney is not knowing the answer to that question. This is why you are nervous in the first place. Know your case and know your client.

2) Dress the part. You will most likely know several days, weeks, or even months before your first court appearance. Have your best suit ironed and dry cleaned, so it’s available for that day. You want to look and feel your best, for two reasons. First, you will have more confidence knowing that it looks good. Second, others will see you and know that you are a lawyer. They will look up to you, or at least see you as an equal, and respect your being in the courtroom because it is their job.

3) Be courteous. Introduce yourself to the judge’s paralegal. Have a little talk with the deputy. Not only will this make them more likely to want to help you, it will also take the nerves out of your mind and make you less apprehensive. You can even get some good advice on when a judge wants a criminal attorney to speak, or where the judge wants the divorce attorney to be positioned when examining a witness, or anything else you want to know.

4) Remember that the Judge is also a person. The Jude is intimidating because he is skilled, respected, and sitting on top of you in a black robe and with authority. But try to imagine the judge as a friend or colleague, someone with whom you can have a conversation. You can be sure that the judge has a life outside of the courtroom, just like you. Remembering this simple fact can make a big difference to your confidence.

5) Don’t chew gum. Silence your cell phone. Judges and bailiffs hate both.

6) Have fun. Remember when all your friends graduated from college and started working for that great company and making what seemed like a ton of cash? You were in the bowels of the law library investigating some obscure possession of who bears the burden of proof in a pet discrimination case. You wondered why you went to law school. This is what you’ve worked for. You are a lawyer!

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