Nobody wants to be in a compromising position where a civil or criminal lawsuit is staring one in the eyes. However, some things could go wrong no matter how careful a person is to avoid any brushes with the law.
If you’re currently in a potential court case as the defendant (or the plaintiff), you shouldn’t panic and instead, gather yourself and prepare for your eventual day in court. With the right preparations, you have a higher chance of winning the lawsuit and avoiding potential damages and jail time or both (or if you’re the plaintiff, winning the case).
Here are five important things you need to remember while dealing with a possible legal battle:
You need to hire a good lawyer
While it’s cliche to say that you need a good lawyer to defend or represent you in court, it is what it is and you need to ensure that you have the best legal representation possible. Regardless if you are suing the other party or you’re the one being served with a court notice as the defendant, among the initial actions you need to do is to find yourself an experienced lawyer.
Your lawyer should be well adept in handling the type of chase that you have, no matter which side of the fence you’re in. With a reliable and skilled legal representation, you can breathe a little as you are assured of appropriate legal help courtesy of your lawyer.
Be prepared for the deposition
You need to prepare for the day when you’d be called to provide your deposition as a defendant or as a plaintiff, during which both lawyers could ask questions you need to answer truthfully.
For this, you need to work with your lawyer to find a reputable professional court reporter to facilitate and take your deposition. These days, written depositions are not the sole way of taking a deposition. Electronic depositions, either through recorded audio or video documentation, have been taking the place of the traditional written deposition.
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, electronic depositions done on a video conferencing platform are pretty much the norm. It’s the safest and most convenient way of satisfying your role as a deponent, so you should make it your top option for your deposition needs.
Prepare your pieces of evidence and make sure they are all admissible
Whether as a defendant or a plaintiff, you’ll have to present pieces of evidence to support your case before a judge or a jury. Such evidence must fully support your argument and be presented to bolster your chances of winning the case.
You need to ensure that every piece of evidence you’ll be presenting to the court is fully admissible since not all evidence can be entertained by the court. It’s vital that you consult with your lawyer about which pieces of evidence you’ll present, fully considering their legality and value to your case.
Always be respectful
Court hearings can be quite unnerving, which only means you can expect your blood pressure to go up like crazy while arguments and pieces of evidence are being presented, particularly the ones that you don’t agree with. Despite such reality, you need to summon the strength to stay quiet when it’s not your time to take the stand and when you’re addressing court authorities such as the judge or members of the opposing party’s legal team.
By keeping your composure and showing a classy demeanor to everyone in the court, it could tip the scales of justice in your favor, especially when convincing the decision-makers relies on your character as witnessed by everyone present in the courthouse.
Attend all hearings and submit all required documents on time
Practically all court cases require parties to submit documents within a set deadline, which means you need to work with your lawyer to make sure you’ll satisfy evidentiary requirements on time. Additionally, you must free up your schedule and ensure attendance to all dates set by the court to hear your case.
These gestures will show the court that you are more than willing to fulfill your legal obligations, thus gaining the court’s respect in the process. This may not necessarily guarantee you’ll win the case, but it would, at the very least, show the court that you’re honest and responsible enough.
Winning a court case is an uphill climb. With these five tips, you’ll be equipped with the essential qualities and faculties needed to have a high chance of gaining the court’s favor.
