Your task, when giving evidence, it to persuade the court. You do not need to try to persuade the opposition parties, their lawyers or, indeed, your own lawyers. It is only the court’s opinion that will matter in the end. So when you want to give good, effective and convincing evidence, you need to understand what the court regards as good evidence.
Here are 10 key points to remember when you have to give evidence.
ONRECORD is committed to helping litigants navigate the family court process as effectively as possible. Knowing what you are doing, what is likely to happen and what to expect can play an important part in helping you make your case. Here’s what to expect at the family court.
These are the 4 simple rules to avoid disaster when giving evidence in court: Dress in a way that respects the court; listen to the questions; look away from the opposition lawyer and talk to the decision maker(s) when you respond; pause to think before answering; stay calm and polite and give clear and truthful answers.
The 5 steps to preparing your statement for court are: Follow the instructions; read all the papers; give a true and factual account; check everything is true and submit it on time.
5 reasons why you should not take your case to court. It’s a high risk, expensive and unpleasant gamble that can ruin your life. Compromise may be wise.
When you have to gather evidence for the family court, for example to prove parental alienation, abuse or to support a custody case, the key advice is to keep records.
When you represent yourself in a contested family case, in other words without a lawyer, you are called a ‘litigant in person’ (LIP). It’s an extremely daunting experience and the best way to cope is to understand the process, read up about the issues, get good advice and guidance and be organised so as to make sure you do what’s necessary. For the professionals involved it’s their jobs. For you it’s your life and much more stressful. The better prepared you are the less likely you are to be overwhelmed.
