Don’t make faces

You will often see people in tribunals responding to what a witness or litigant is saying.

They may raise their eyebrows; roll their eyes; suck their teeth; make the sound ‘tsk’; sigh deeply, grimace horribly or some combination of these and other things.

Don’t join in. It will annoy the tribunal.

If somebody else is speaking during a hearing, you should sit quietly and listen to them. It is fine to leaf through your papers, make a note or whisper briefly if you need to check something with somebody else.

But you must not express your views about what the speaker is saying, unless you are willing to interrupt. Interruptions are sometimes appropriate, especially if you are cross-examining, but should be extremely rare elsewhere.