Here at Children in the Middle® we are not just about representing you at court. It maybe you simply need advice before a court hearing or help with drafting documents. We are happy to help in any way.
If you are representing yourself at court though, you may find it’s the little things that can throw you, and certainly when we were starting out, simple things like finding the right court room, can put you on the back foot, on what is certain to be an important day in your life.
This especially goes for how you address the person, or people making the decisions. The judge or magistrates. Whether you are speaking for yourself in court, or giving evidence, it’s best to get it right. There is nothing worse than being corrected by a grumpy judge.
We’ve found most judges won’t make a big deal if you get it wrong. Many won’t correct you, although after the seventh time of being addressed as ‘your majesty’, they may start to look annoyed.
If you are in the Family Courts (often held in a County Court building) you cannot go wrong with ‘sir’ for a male judge, or ‘ma’am’ or ‘madam’ for a female judge. Our Royal experts tell us it should be ma’am to rhyme with ‘arm’ and not ‘ham’, though it probably doesn’t matter.
If faced with a bench of magistrates (usually two or three of them) then the same rule applies. However, when addressing them collectively it should be ‘your worships’.
These are the formalities of court that will help you feel more comfortable. However, please remember that judges are humans too and are there to try and help your children. If you get it wrong, don’t worry. Whatever you call them, they have probably been called worse.