A Barrister’s job is to debase, belittle and doubt your evidence in court to increase the relevance, respect and veracity of their client’s evidence. They do this by deliberately unnerving you and reducing your confidence with embarrassing or vindictive questioning and they do this very often and have inevitably become very skilled at it. As a Social Worker, you are a multi-tasking problem solver and are used to often being placed in situations that make you feel out of your depth. What actions can you take to mitigate this imbalance of power in the Court setting?
 
KEY TAKEAWAYS 

Feeling good about yourself and the work you do is very important when faced with severe criticism in court.
Prepare assiduously for court, getting help from colleagues or friends concerning how you come across when answering questions.
You really cannot practice enough. Focus on controlling your own thoughts feelings and attitudes. 
Social Workers are so overloaded with cases that you must familiarise yourself with the details of the case involved.   

 
BEST MOMENTS 
 
‘A Barrister is totally comfortable whilst firing questions at you. If you are going to answer those questions in a convincing, competent manner, you are going to need to develop some ability to feel a degree of relaxation whilst giving evidence.’ 
‘For Social Workers, though, whilst giving evidence is very important, it is only a very small part of their overall role.’  
CONTACT METHODfamilycourtcoaching@gmail.com.
Instagram: michael240656Linkedin 
 
ABOUT THE HOST
Michael Watson is a qualified social worker and author with over thirty years of experience working with children and families. As an expert in family court, Michael is in a key position to assist, advise, and coach parents through their private law family proceedings and provide them with the information and skills to represent themselves successfully in court. His two books, ‘How to Represent Yourself in Family Court’, and ‘FAMILY COURT: Giving Evidence In Family Court’, provide parents with a clearer understanding of family court proceedings, legislation, and parenting skills.