Giwa Ihesha
Member
You enter Court and Hear “Mention.” Then they say “Adjourned.” What exactly is going on?
If you have ever sat inside a courtroom wondering whether the case has started, ended, or nothing happened at all this post is for you.
Three words you must understand before entering a courtroom:
Mention. Hearing. Adjournment.
Let me explain them like we are having a normal conversation.
Mention
Mention is basically the court saying:
“Okay, what is the situation with this case?”
The court may want to know:
Has the other party been served?
Are the lawyers present?
Have the necessary documents been filed?
Are the parties ready?
What is the next step?
It is generally not the stage where the full trial takes place. Think of mention as a courtroom check-in. The court is checking the status of the case.
Hearing
Now this one is different. Hearing is where the case gets serious. Depending on the type and stage of the proceedings, the court may hear arguments, witnesses may testify, documents may be tendered, and lawyers may examine or cross-examine witnesses.
This is where the evidence in the case really comes into play.
So if you hear:
“The matter is coming up for hearing.”
It is not the same thing as mention.
Adjournment
This is the one people hear almost every day.
“Case adjourned to 15th November.”
And somebody immediately says:
“But lawyer, what did you people do today?”
Adjournment simply means the matter has been moved to another date.
It does NOT automatically mean you lost the case.
It does NOT mean the case has ended.
It simply means:
“We will continue this matter on another date.”
A matter may be adjourned for several reasons perhaps a witness is unavailable, a party needs to take a necessary step, documents need attention, the court's time has run out, or the matter is not ready to proceed.
And yes, a case can be adjourned during a mention or during a hearing.
So remember it like this:
Mention = “What is the situation with this case?”
Hearing = “Let us proceed with the case.”
Adjournment = “We will continue another day.”
The next time you sit in court and hear:
“Mention.”
“Hearing.”
“Adjourned.”
Don't look at your lawyer like:
“Counsel, are we winning or losing?”
Now you understand what those words mean.
Court is not magic. Once you understand the language, you understand the process better.
Save this post. You may need it before your next court attendance.
Which courtroom word should I explain next?
Confidence Aribibia
I remain your favorite Lawyer
If you have ever sat inside a courtroom wondering whether the case has started, ended, or nothing happened at all this post is for you.
Three words you must understand before entering a courtroom:
Mention. Hearing. Adjournment.
Let me explain them like we are having a normal conversation.
MentionMention is basically the court saying:
“Okay, what is the situation with this case?”
The court may want to know:
Has the other party been served? Are the lawyers present? Have the necessary documents been filed? Are the parties ready? What is the next step?It is generally not the stage where the full trial takes place. Think of mention as a courtroom check-in. The court is checking the status of the case.
HearingNow this one is different. Hearing is where the case gets serious. Depending on the type and stage of the proceedings, the court may hear arguments, witnesses may testify, documents may be tendered, and lawyers may examine or cross-examine witnesses.
This is where the evidence in the case really comes into play.
So if you hear:
“The matter is coming up for hearing.”
It is not the same thing as mention.
AdjournmentThis is the one people hear almost every day.
“Case adjourned to 15th November.”
And somebody immediately says:
“But lawyer, what did you people do today?”
Adjournment simply means the matter has been moved to another date.
It does NOT automatically mean you lost the case.
It does NOT mean the case has ended.
It simply means:
“We will continue this matter on another date.”
A matter may be adjourned for several reasons perhaps a witness is unavailable, a party needs to take a necessary step, documents need attention, the court's time has run out, or the matter is not ready to proceed.
And yes, a case can be adjourned during a mention or during a hearing.
So remember it like this:
Mention = “What is the situation with this case?” Hearing = “Let us proceed with the case.” Adjournment = “We will continue another day.”The next time you sit in court and hear:
“Mention.”
“Hearing.”
“Adjourned.”
Don't look at your lawyer like:
“Counsel, are we winning or losing?”
Now you understand what those words mean.
Court is not magic. Once you understand the language, you understand the process better.
Save this post. You may need it before your next court attendance.
Which courtroom word should I explain next?
Confidence AribibiaI remain your favorite Lawyer