When you and your spouse are going through a custody dispute during your divorce, you may end up in court. There, the judge may have specific factors that they’ll keep in mind to determine what kind of custody arrangements would be best for your child.
When preparing for a child custody case, you need to do everything you can to make yourself appear responsible, respectful, resilient and reasonable. Your attorney will help you prepare by going over possible questions and information that will help your case.
What do you need to be able to do when you come to court?
In court, a judge will expect you to:
- Be able to answer questions clearly. If the judge asks you if you have a job or how you can arrange your schedule to care for your child, be sure that you can answer them clearly. Have answers to important questions about childcare or how you’ll support your child’s needs.
- Know people who are important to your child. You should know who your child’s teachers or friends are, because that shows that you have an interest in your child’s life.
- Make arguments for your preferred custody arrangements. You should be able to explain why you can provide the right care to your child and why you deserve to have the time you want with them.
- Come to court dressed appropriately. You should wear business professional clothing whenever possible. This might include a suit or other dress clothes. Make sure that your appearance gives off the impression that you are a reasonable, responsible adult who is ready to talk seriously about your child’s future.
- Come to court on time. If you can’t get to court on time for this important hearing, it won’t look good in the eyes of the judge.
You should do all you can to be prepared for this important date in court. Your child’s future may rely on the outcome of this case, so it’s valuable to be ready to fight for custody and the arrangements that would be in their best interests as you move forward after divorcing.
