When appearing in court, you must be on time and dressed appropriately. Please check in with the bailiff if one is available doing roll call. This is very important! If you are not on time, a warrant may be issued for your arrest. Felony Judges WILL arrest you if you are even one minute late. Please do not wear hats, shorts, jeans or tank tops. Turn all cellular devices off when entering the courtroom. No chewing gum in the courtroom. If you do not see your attorney when you get to court, please remain seated IN THE COURTROOM. DO NOT LEAVE FOR ANY REASON. Be sure to put enough money in the meter to cover four hours. Chances are you will not be there for four hours, but it is very important you do not leave the court room for any reason. If you leave and your attorney cannot find you, he will move on to the next setting and come back to you last. Please BE PATIENT. Some days we have light docket days, and some days we have heavy docket days. Please rest assured you will be taken care of. On heavy docket days (typically every Thursday), our attorneys assess the docket the day before and figure out the most efficient way to handle each and every client. Defense attorneys are required to attend felony and trial settings before misdemeanor settings. With that being said, they may have to come to you last. Most Judges do not allow children in the courtroom.
Please plan accordingly.
What happens at my court appearances?Most cases have more than one court setting and can take anywhere from a couple of months to 2 years depending on the complexity of the facts/issues before your case is resolved. This is normal and your attorney does not have control over this. No major decisions are made at your first court appearance. In fact, most of the time, nothing major will happen regarding your case until you have had some type of meeting/conversation with the attorney to discuss the evidence received from the prosecutors.
Also, please see “Courtroom Etiquette.”
What if my attorney is not present when I arrive in court?
If you do not see your attorney when you get to the courtroom please remain seated and wait patiently inside the courtroom. The attorney will find you and may call your name. We ask that you clear your schedule for the whole morning or afternoon (depending on your scheduled time) of all court appearances. We understand that you have work and other responsibilities but we have multiple clients and multiple settings on the same date and time as your setting, and the attorneys will plan their schedule the most efficient way to assure that every client gets taken care of in a timely manner, and as quickly as possible.
