If you’re a litigant in a contested child custody matter, you’ll most likely be dealing with false allegations, half truths, and some spinning of the story on the part of both or one of the parties. We must understand that credibility and evidence go hand in hand when trying to support your claim or to refute the other side’s. Misrepresenting the truth in court will end a lot of decisions that the judge may be weighing, when credibility is lost, it’s not something that you’ll likely get back. The courts have seen it all, and what you may be trying your best to hide, may not actually be a real issue in your case. Be honest, upfront, and direct when addressing the court. On the other side of the coin, if you’re on the defense side of a false allegation or claim, make sure that you’re prepared to show exactly why the statement made is false. Make sure that you know your rules of evidence and that you do the work to find the documents, witnesses, and demonstrations to prove your argument. You should identify which statements hurt your case the most and focus on those first as you may not have time in court to defend against them all and you do not want to spend your entire time defending at a deficit to your presentation time. Try to be specific in your presentation as to limit your time.