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Month: April 2009

Five steps of preparation for cross examination

Five steps of preparation for cross examination

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THE FIVE STEPS OF PREPARATION FOR CROSS EXAMINATION Great cross examination requires hard work in preparation. It should not be done "off the cuff." So, what are the steps of preparation? I suggest that your preparation for cross examination should involve these five fundamental steps: 1. Determine the goals. What is you want to accomplish with this specific witness? What testimony the witness will offer can be used to achieve a specific goal that supports your case or undermines the…

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Cross examination principles

Cross examination principles

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BASIC CROSS EXAMINATION PRINCIPLES There are some fundamental principles of cross examination that should be observed in most situations. These include the following: Make big points and ignore the details There is nothing more boring that a detailed, technical minute point by technical point in cross examination. Make your point a broad one without a lot of irrelevant details. Stick with big obvious points that the jury will see and understand without having to follow a lot of detailed information….

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The art of persuasion

The art of persuasion

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While we were in Costa Rica I had time to read some books. A couple of them had helpful information for trial lawyers. Here’s a passage from the book Born standing up: A comic’s Life by Steve Martin about the subject of anchoring. I’ve written about this important idea previously in this blog, but I hadn’t realized that comics use the technique to coax a laugh out of an audience.: “A skillful comedian could coax a laugh with tiny indicators…

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