Re: Dress Code

Posted by Keyser Soze (64.12.96.205) on July 03, 2003 at 19:35:32:

In Reply to: Dress Code posted by Ronaldo Carlos on July 02, 2003 at 20:43:02:

Dear Ronaldo Carlos;

WhyChat as ever makes good points. Nothing can be inferred about your wealth of lack thereof by your wearing a coat and tie. It does show respect to the court - i.e. the judge - rather important. It also may serve as a symbolic signal to the opposing lawyers that you are not to be trifled with either.
To elaborate on WhyChat's advice, take nothing with you to court that you wish to give up. Do not wear a watch, leave your rings at home. Expensive pens? Stow them in your desk drawer, bring a cheap stick pen and pad for notes. Tie, yes. Tie tack or clasp? No. Wallet? Yes. Empty save for driver licence and library card and perhaps one or two dollars? Yes.
Why? Simple, it is highly unlikely to occur in your instance yet the judge does have the right, especially if the opposing lawyers present a case, however phony it may be, that you are in fact Aristotle Onassis' long lost heir, to order you to empty your pockets and give over to the court as part of a settlement. Again, this is a very remote possibility but it has in fact happened and a good lawyer would advise you of same.
An individual who at one time was a lawyer for a major bank has several tale to tell of actually removing at Judge's order a Rolex Watch from a debtor defendant in open court. Another time, wallet ordered emptied, contents handed over to court as partial settlement. Again, this is not likely but it is good practice.
Also, the less you have on you in court the more you can concentrate on the business at hand, chiefly defeating the opposition, ensuring they go away with their corkscrew chivato tails stuck firmly twixt their legs or preferably even up somewhere else, firmly convinced that to mess with you will always cost them money, eat their valuable time, and result in painful governmental troubles. The collection lawyers are gusanos, one and all.

Valuably,

Keyser Soze

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