When going through a divorce, you likely have enough to worry about between your average responsibilities and the legal complexities of your case. However, finding out you may have to testify at your court hearing can cause a significant amount of anxiety for many. Whether this is because you don’t like public speaking or you’re worried about impacting the outcome of your divorce, knowing how to proceed is critical. Luckily, the following blog and a Los Angeles divorce attorney can help you through these challenging times to prepare you better for the event you must testify during your hearing.
Why Might I Need to Testify?
In some instances, calling witnesses to testify can help provide evidence and context and settle disputes between opposing parties. While some witnesses, like friends, family members, co-workers, and employers can help speak to your character and support your story and claims, you are the most important person who can speak on your case. This is due to the fact that you and your spouse are the two people at the center of the divorce, so your words carry a significant amount of weight.
What Can I Do to Make This Process Easier?
If you are going through a divorce and are called to testify, the most important thing you must do is tell the truth. Though you may be embarrassed by some mistakes you made or immature behavior, lying about your actions can cause more significant damage than telling the truth.
Additionally, attorneys will often try to make questions complex to trip you up and misspeak on the matters at hand. It’s important to understand that if you do not understand a question, you can ask the attorney to repeat or rephrase the question because you do not understand it. You should not answer a question that is confusing to you. Be sure to carefully listen to the question and wait for the attorney to finish their inquiry before you start answering. Take a moment to consider your words before answering.
Finally, it’s critical to understand that you should remain calm and collected. Though it may be upsetting to sit on the stand and hear inaccurate or untrue statements about you. However, if you become argumentative or debate the attorney, this can lead to more questions and cause the judge to view you unfavorably. If there is anything negative said about you that is irrelevant or out of line, your attorney can help quell these comments.
When going through a divorce, ensuring you contact the Zitser Family Law Group, APC as soon as possible is crucial. Your attorney can help you best prepare for your court hearing to ensure this process goes smoothly for your circumstances. Contact our firm today to learn how we can help you through these challenging times.
