What Should I Wear to Court?

So you have a hearing in court soon and don't know what to wear?  No matter what type of hearing you have in the family court (a temporary hearing or a final hearing) you should dress to make a good impression on the judge.  There is no jury in a South Carolina Family Court and the judge will make the final decision in your case.So what should you wear so you make a good first impression?  You want to be comfortable, but you also want to make sure that you keep in mind the formality of the event you are attending.  Here are my thoughts:Men:

• Dress slacks and a button up shirt or a polo style shirt.  I don't think it is necessary for you to wear a suit unless you feel comfortable in a suit.
• No hats allowed.
• No T-shirts, shorts, holy jeans, etc.
• Remove earrings and cover tattoos as much as possible.  Remember, you are going into a government establishment where many of the personnel are very conservative.  Men with earrings tend to rub some people the wrong way.

Women:

• You should wear a conservative suit, dress or slacks and blouse.  You should not wear anything revealing or "sexy" to court.
• No wild, crazy or expensive jewelry

Everyone:

• No chewing gum.
• Leave your guns, knives, pepper spray, etc. in your car.  You're going to have to go through a metal detector before entering the courthouse, so you might as well leave this stuff outside because it's not coming in.
• Turn your cell phone off or on silent so it does not go off in the court room.  That's a big no no.
• Avoid wearing a lot of cologne or after-shave.

What Happens after my Temporary Hearing?

So you've made it through the temporary hearing in your divorce case.  Maybe that turned out great for you.  Perhaps the temporary hearing was a disaster.  You may be extremely happy, or you could be pretty scared and depressed.  As an attorney, I've been on both sides.  So what happens after your temporary hearing?  Well, the case will move on.  Typically, discovery is the next step.  Discovery can consist of sending requests for information from your spouse and subpoenaing information from other entities.After we have a grasp of what the case is about and some more specific information that we have gained through discovery we can move on to mediation.  In Greenville County, mediation is mandatory in a contested divorce case.  If we are able to settle your case at mediation we will be able to request a final hearing immediately.  If not, we can continue to negotiate as we move forward towards a trial.The length of this phase of your case can vary based on the complexity of your case and the type of final hearing we need.  If we only need a 15 minute hearing, we could get into court quickly.  If, however, we need the court to set a trial that will last a day or longer we could be waiting several months for our court date.  This, of course, extends the amount of time necessary for you to continue as ordered under the temporary order.