When a lawyer requests to “approach the court,” they are asking the judge for permission to physically approach the desk and speak to the judge outside of the jury hearing. Generally, when lawyers ask to go to court, they want to discuss a point in the case. In practice, if a lawyer needs to approach a witness, hand over evidence, or look over the witness's shoulder while the witness marks a test, the lawyer will do so.
Lawyers
often, without permission, wander around the courtroom during the trial when they address the court, the jury, or a witness.\The lawyer should state “Objection” and then only provide legal reasons (for example, “Objection”, “hearings” or “Objection”, relevance) and wait for the court to give instructions.It appears that this is a way to prevent lawyers from taking advantage of their position and that, otherwise, they would combine aggressive questioning with aggressive body language and actually confront a witness. It is rumored that judges are intimidated by lawyers and never enjoy seeing a lawyer directly challenge them. Many courts forbid sidebars and decline to excuse jurors while lawyers are left to debate questions of law.\Let me suggest that this is an amiable California custom that has recently become popular among young lawyers and judges who grew up in front of a television and accept everything they see on the blue screen. Jurors are attentive to the reactions of lawyers and parties, particularly when the witness stand provides damaging testimony.
If lawyers have to involve their clients in these conversations and then explain to the court why clients have chosen not to use these cost-saving devices, there may be agreement on more matters. Instead, judges should set a fixed, short period for presenting evidence that begins when lawyers agree that it should begin, but that ends a fixed number of months later, regardless of when it begins and when the trial is held or may be held.\However, lawyers present themselves to oral arguments with huge slide presentations that look like additional reports and often only show a few slides to the court. An attorney may be concerned that the court will rule before fully understanding the basis of the objection. Limiting the length of trials allows lawyers to plan discovery in proportion to the time allotted for the trial.
Lawyers aren't allowed to enter the well, so you'll see some amusing situations where a lawyer asks to approach, is given permission, but then, instead of walking straight to where she needs to be, she skirts around the edges of the room.\What they should do and what they shouldn't do are based on surveys conducted with trial judges, both federal and state, about what they would like lawyers to change or do better in their courtrooms.
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