You will need to wear the right clothes and be fully prepared to get the best result for your day in court.
While we will organise everything on the day of your court appearance from a legal perspective, our clients will need to ensure they are wearing the right clothes and are prepared practically for the day.
What to Wear
For men, this is simple: we recommend wearing a suit. A tie is optional. Do not wear trainers.
For women, we recommend dressing smart casual, as if going to out a “nice lunch”. A suit is not advised, nor is dressing as if going to a wedding. Smart shoes, a nice skirt or trousers will be fine. Do not wear jeans or trainers.
What to Bring
Even if your hearing is only scheduled for a short time, you need to prepare for a full day at court in case of delays. So bring enough water and snacks to last you until 5:30pm. A client who is hungry or dehydrated will invariably make bad decisions.
You may wish to bring a friend for moral support. This is quite understandable and can be of real help. However, you need to choose your friend with care. Ideally, your friend should be someone who can remain calm and grounded during difficult and stressful situations. Do not invite your friend if they can be flightly or dramatic. Neither should you bring someone who is recently divorced or, even worse, going through their own divorce. Never bring your new partner.
Practical Considerations
You need to prepare for the hearing to last until at least 5:30. This means that you will need to pay for car parking until that time. You will not be able to leave early to “top up” your parking ticket.
If you have children at school or nursery, you will need to arrange child care for them for the afternoon.
A Final Thought
If you are wearing the right clothes and have all your practical needs covered, then we will be in the best position to help you get the result you want.
You can read more about the kind of judge who you will meet in court here.
You can read about how to correctly address the judge here.
I’ve nothing to wear by Craig Sunter
