Can You Make Court Appearances for Your Clients?

Interviewer: Does your client have to accompany you to court? Can the attorney appear without them?

Dale: Yes, the client should accompany me. However, I try to keep the intrusion to a minimum. If I know a client has a three-hour drive to court, I will request that the court excuse that client from the first pretrial. Many times this will be granted because we are still examining preliminary matters. I have clients from out of town who only have to make one court appearance instead of several. I think it is imperative to minimize the client’s anxiety. By attending to all the details for them, we are ready to proceed by the time of their first appearance.