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When your trial date arrives, get to the courthouse early. You will be required to go through a security checkpoint, which will look and feel a lot like airport security. Once you get through security, go to your courtroom and wait until your case is called. An important part of being successful in court involves dressing professionally. A courtroom is considered a professional and serious venue, so you need to dress that way. Always wear a suit if you have one. You should always avoid wearing shorts, sandals, and hats. You or your lawyer will need to give the judge a roadmap of what the evidence will show. The opening statement should be brief, but should summarize what evidence will support your claim to full custody. Do not engage in argument. Emotions can run high in a custody hearing, but there is nothing to argue about during the opening statement because no evidence has been admitted into court yet. As the petitioner (the person seeking joint custody), you will present witnesses first. The respondent (the other parent) will then have an opportunity to cross-examine each witness.  Do not ask leading questions. A leading question states a fact and then asks the witness to agree. For example, “You never spank your child, do you?” is a leading question. Instead, the lawyer should ask a series of questions such as “How often does your son misbehave?” “Do you punish him?” “How do you punish him?” Then the attorney can ask, “Have you ever spanked your son?” Ask witnesses to identify any documents you want introduced into evidence. You must first elicit testimony that a document is what you claim it is before it can be admitted into evidence. The purpose of cross-examination is to either discredit the witness or to minimize the testimony by showing that the witness is biased or lacking in sufficient knowledge to testify about the matter.  You can impeach a witness with a prior inconsistent statement. If a witness ever praised you as a parent, then that statement can be introduced if the witness now claims on the stand that you are a bad parent. If someone testifies that you and your child fight, then you can minimize the damage by highlighting how infrequently the witness sees you with your child. Always try to remain calm. If you feel anger overwhelming you, close your eyes for five seconds and breathe deeply. You or your lawyer will summarize your case, explicitly linking evidence to the best interest of the child factors provided in you state's statute.  Counter bad facts as best as you can. If you don't have a clean criminal record, then concede that fact before highlighting the evidence that shows you have lived responsibly for the past several years. Once your trial is over, the judge will make a decision regarding your case. If you prevail, you will have obtained joint custody of your child. If you were unsuccessful at trial, you can choose to appeal the judge's decision if you think they made a mistake.
Arrive on time. Dress appropriately. Deliver an opening statement. Call witnesses. Cross-examine the witnesses for the other side. Deliver a closing argument. Wait for the court's decision.