How clients dress in court is important. I want my clients to dress to impress, but not too much.
First, I like my clients to wear a white shirt. It looks professional, respectful, and fresh.
When we are appearing over zoom there are three things to consider:
- lighting
- sound
- internet
You have no idea how many times I have witnessed the court interrupt a hearing because one of the lawyers didn't have a good internet connection or a client had to be muted and couldn't be heard in court because they had very loud background.
I have seen some clients appear in court over zoom while they are in the car, in bed, or even walking around on some loud street.
Personally, of course the Judge has to be impartial, but I feel like Judges are also people and the more respect we show to the court through our attention to detail, the better! That includes everything, such as:
- quiet background
- good lighting
- good internet
- respectful appearance
- and of course, respectful speech, meaning not interrupting in court
You will hear that the judge always interrupts people when they interrupt each other, not only because it's disrespectful, but also because the court has a court reporter who transcribes everything. The court reporter is unable to accurately type when two people are talking at once.
My suggestion is to listen and write down everything that you disagree with while the other party is talking. Then when it is your turn, you can say, "These are the points I disagree with.” From here, the Judge will listen to both sides and ask, "is the matter submitted?" and then make a final decision.
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