Attending a Family Court hearing can be daunting in the best of circumstances, but with the majority of cases now being held remotely the process can seem all the more unfamiliar. Here are our top tips.
If you have a Family Court hearing listed in the next few months it’s likely that you’ve received, or you will receive, a Notice adjourning or re-listing your hearing for attendance by telephone or video instead. For some, being able to join from a more comfortable and familiar environment than the Court building may make the whole process seem less intimidating; for others, it could be even more isolating and unnerving than it may have seemed before.
As a Team, we’ve now supported our clients through many of these hearings – from First Direction Appointments to Final Hearings and everything in-between. Remote hearings are relatively new to the legal field in general so we’ve been learning too – here are a few of our top-tips for helping your telephone or video hearing to go as smoothly as possible:
What to do for your remote hearing
- Find a quiet space in your home away from distractions (such as children and pets);
- Make sure your connection is strong – whether that means using your landline rather than your mobile, or an Ethernet cable over wireless internet – the last thing to worry about is whether you’ll be disconnected from the hearing;
- If your hearing is taking place by video, try a practice run with the software and connecting to the link;
- Have another open method of communication with us – we may need to contact you whilst the hearing is taking place;
- Mute your computer microphone whilst you are not being spoken to (unless you’re giving evidence you’re unlikely to speak anyway); and
- Dress smart – whilst there isn’t a formal dress code for remote hearings, you should still be presentable if you’re going to be on screen (perhaps a smart top at least).
What NOT to do
- Allow anyone in the room with you – you will be asked to confirm to the Court that no one can hear you or what is being said by others involved;
- Panic. If you are disconnected, relax and try calmly to reconnect – technical issues happen;
- Attempt to connect for the first time when the hearing starts – any delay is only likely to impact the timely resolution of your case;
- Make yourself unavailable to your Legal Team – if there are questions, you’ll need to be able to pass the information onto your barrister without shouting it over the stream;
- Speak to the Judge or your solicitor during the hearing unless asked, and don’t let background noise distract or detract from the points being raised; and
- No casual clothes or pyjamas.
There is no reason that your remote hearing cannot take place successfully provided the proper preparations are made. There are still a number of more procedural elements to take into account than this article can address however, and which our Family Team are able to advise upon and arrange on your behalf.