Try to get into the courtroom before you have to testify, advises Keith Meyers (Perkins & Co.), a 20-year veteran of giving testimony in court. “It’s always great to be in there, even if it’s only a half hour before you testify, just to get an idea of who everybody is on each side, who the judge is, where the court reporter is located, and so on,” he says in an interview in the March issue of Business Valuation Update (subscription required).

By getting into the courtroom early, you can also observe the judge, Meyers points out. Is he or she active or passive? Is there a big crowd in the courtroom? Does the AV system work OK? Also, check out the witness stand. What side is it on? Is there water for the witness? “These are things that I like to know, just because it allows me to calm down a bit.”