What to wear to the District Court and how to address the judge

People search for this the night before. The honest answer is short: there is no dress code, the judge is "Judge", you stand when your name is called, and the rest is manners. This guide covers the small questions that make the morning easier, so that you can spend your attention on the case.

What to wear

There is no dress code in the District Court. Nobody checks at the door and nobody is sent home. What most people wear is something plain and clean: trousers or a skirt and a shirt or a jumper, the clothes you would wear to a job interview or a christening. A suit is not expected and not needed. Work clothes are fine if you have come straight from work and say so.

Avoid clothing with slogans, sports colours or anything the judge has to read, a hat or a hood indoors, and sunglasses. Dress for a long wait in a building that may be cold in winter and warm in summer. If you are on a charge where the judge is deciding what to do with you, the effort of looking as though you took the day seriously is noticed, and it costs nothing.

How to address the judge

In the District Court the judge is addressed as "Judge". "Yes, Judge." "I am pleading not guilty, Judge." "I would like time to get legal advice, Judge." That is the whole of it. "Your Honour" is heard from television and nobody takes offence, but "Judge" is the correct form. "My Lord" and "Your Lordship" belong to the higher courts and sound wrong here.

The person sitting below the judge who calls the cases and keeps the record is the registrar, or in a smaller venue the court clerk. Address the registrar by saying "Registrar" if you need to; most people just answer when called. The garda who prosecutes stands at the side; the State solicitor, where there is one, sits at the front bench. A barrister or solicitor is "my colleague" when one lawyer refers to another, and nothing when you refer to them.

Standing, sitting and speaking

Stand when the judge enters and leaves the courtroom: the registrar calls "all rise" or simply "court". Stand when your case is called and stay standing while you speak to the judge; sit when the judge moves to the next case. If standing is difficult for you, tell the registrar or the court office before the sitting, and the judge is told.

Speak up. Courtrooms are big and the judge is some distance away, and a judge who cannot hear you asks you to repeat yourself. Speak to the judge, not to the garda, even when you are answering something the garda said. Do not interrupt the judge, and if you are interrupted, stop and listen. Say "I do not understand, Judge" if you do not; the judge would rather explain than have you agree to something you did not follow. If English is not your first language, ask for an interpreter: the court provides one at no cost, and the case is put back until one is present rather than heard against a person who cannot follow it.

Do not argue after the decision. If you disagree with it, the route is an appeal to the Circuit Court within 14 days, and the court date tool counts those days.

Phones, recording and the public seats

Switch your phone off, or to silent, before you enter the courtroom, and keep it in your pocket. Do not photograph, film or record anything in a courtroom; recording can be treated as contempt of court and the Garda in the building act on it. The same applies to the corridors in some venues. Taking notes on paper is fine.

Criminal and civil sittings are public. Anyone can sit in the public seats, which is why a friend or family member can come with you for support without asking anyone. Family law and children's cases are different: those are heard in private, and only the parties, their lawyers and the people the judge allows may be present. Interpreters, disability access and children in court covers who can be in those sittings.

Children

There is no rule against bringing a child to a public courtroom, but it is a long day of waiting in a room where people are being sentenced, and judges and registrars prefer not to see small children in criminal courts. If you have no childcare, bring someone who can take the child outside while your case is on, or tell the registrar when you arrive that you have a child with you so the case can be called sooner. A child who is a witness or a party is dealt with differently; see the guide above.

Timing and the list

The time on your summons or bail bond is the start of the sitting, not the time your case is heard. Be in the building at least thirty minutes before it. Find the list for your courtroom, which is pinned at the door in a small venue or shown on a screen in the hall of a larger one, and check that your name is on it. If it is not, go to the court office in the building, which can look you up; District Court lists are not published online.

Go into the courtroom and sit before the judge comes in. At the call-over, stand and say "present, Judge" when your name is read. Cases are then taken in the order the judge decides, and the wait can run to the afternoon. Do not leave the courtroom for long without telling the registrar; a case called when you are not there can proceed without you, and on bail a bench warrant can issue. What happens in the District Court walks through the day in order.

What to bring

The summons or charge sheet and bail bond, any letters from the Garda or the court office, proof of your income if you are applying for legal aid, and anything you want the judge to see: a character reference, a receipt for compensation, a certificate from a course, a doctor's letter. Bring two copies of anything you want to hand up, so that the judge and the prosecution can each have one. The court day checklist puts this in a list for your matter and stage.

The court office

Every courthouse has an office, or is served by one nearby, and the staff there answer the practical questions: the date, the courtroom, the time, a copy of an order, how to lodge an appeal, how to pay a fine. They cannot advise on the case itself. The court finder gives the office address, phone number and hours for your venue, and the Courts Service's own notices for that venue, including cancellations and changes of sitting.

Where this leaves you

Plain and clean, "Judge", stand when you are called, phone off, arrive early and find your name on the list. The court day checklist turns the morning into a printable list. If you may qualify for legal aid, ask the judge for it at your first appearance; the legal aid page explains the tests. If you want a solicitor beside you on the day, the solicitor page explains how the enquiry works.