When you are trying to divide property during your divorce, if you and your spouse don’t agree on a split already, you’re going to go before a judge. Experts warn that one thing you never want to do is to give the judge a negative opinion of you right out of the gate. If you and the judge get off on the wrong foot, it can hurt your chances. These tips can help avoid that.
1. Always be respectful. You may be unhappy to be in court at all, but don’t let those emotions change how you treat the judge or his or her support staff.
2. Even when it’s hard, you also want to be respectful to your spouse.
3. Think about how you dress. You may say it shouldn’t have any impact on the facts of the case, but the judge is going to look at you differently if you show up in sweats as opposed to a suit.
4. Don’t instruct the judge. For example, don’t tell the judge what he or she should think. Instead, just present the facts and let the judge draw conclusions. The judge may agree with you, but telling the judge what to think makes it seem like you’re belittling him or her.
5. Don’t be insulting. This one is pretty straightforward; even when the judge rules in a way that you don’t agree with, keep your cool and don’t insult the judge personally. Just explain why you don’t agree.
When you go to court, you need to know how to approach the case and what legal rights and options you have in California.
Source: Huffington Post, “5 Things Your Divorce Judge Wants to Tell You, But Doesn’t,” Jason Levoy, accessed March 23, 2016