Court Procedures / Evidence / Service

In your email you said that you were worried that you didn’t have photos for your testimony. Generally speaking, photos are just one form of evidence, and there are other types of evidence that are equally powerful. It’s likely that you have more evidence to show the judge than you may realize. For one, your words are evidence, and additional items like the police reports will serve to corroborate your description of the events. We have more information about using evidence in court that may give you more ideas about how to use the material you have, and how to think of other supporting materials. You mentioned that you have police reports and protection orders (temporary and permanent) – you will want to make sure to have copies of these documents for any hearing. This is a small point, but it helps to always have extra couple copies of important documents that you hope to use in court, just in case.

If you are going to represent yourself in court (also called being “pro se”), you might want to get legal advice from a lawyer ahead of time to make sure you are doing the right thing. Legal advice includes deciding what option is best for you. An attorney in your state will be familiar with the laws of evidence and with the court rules for the court in which you will appear. If you are considering speaking to an attorney, you’ll find contact information for free legal services lawyers and the state bar’s lawyer referral service for private attorneys on our Finding a Lawyer page. [HYPERLINK]