First of all forget everything you have seen on TV. Family Law matters are dealt with in the County Court not the Crown Court which is very different.

When you go into the Court building you will be directed to the County Court waiting room. You will see a list of cases on the wall showing which Judge you are before and what other cases that Judge will see.

You should present yourself to the Usher who will usually be at a desk in the waiting room and they will take your name and you will wait until your case is called. If your case is listed for say 10:00am there are likely to be several cases listed at the same time and you may not see the Judge in the order that they are listed. Despite this you should try to arrive a little earlier than your allotted time (20- 30 minutes is sensible).

Be prepared to wait as often cases take longer than expected and you are unlikely to get in to Court at exactly your appointed time. Take a book if you are not represented to pass the time!

When the Judge is ready to see you the Usher will call out your name and lead you and the other party into the Judge's room.

Generally your matter will be dealt with by a District Judge – they do not wear a wig and gown like Crown Court Judges and they usually sit in what are known as “Chambers” which are normal rooms and not usually set up as you would expect a Court room to be.

The tables are often in a “T” shape with the Judge at the top of the “T” and you sit one side (with your legal representative if you have one) and the other person sits on the other side (with their representative). No other person is allowed in the room unless all parties and the Judge agree.

You should refer to the Judge as either “Sir” or “Madam” in Court if they are a District Judge or “Your Honour” if they are a Circuit Judge.

In case you don't note down the Judge's decision, the Court office will send you a typed Order confirming what the Judge has decided – you should receive this within about 1 week.

Image credit: The Law Courts, Maidstone CC BY-SA 2.0 Chris Whippet