Legal Research

"Five Steps of Preparation for Cross Examination"

Posted by Paul Luvera: "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...

2. Divide goals into individual topics...

3. Document the cross examination...

4. Use Role Reversal...

5. Divide the cross examination into chapters...

In addition to this preparation, you need to be prepared to deal with issues that come up during direct examination you are not prepared for. Those should be inserted into your outline at the appropriate place. The advantage of organizing your cross into individual chapters instead of an ongoing long narrative is that you can inject these topics in the best place within your prepared cross examination. Keep in mind that a very important part of cross examination is listening. Don't be a note taker. Be a careful listener during both direct examination and cross examination. The Key to great cross examination is hard work in the preparation."

The full text of this post is available at the source site listed below

Source: Plaintiff Trial Lawyer Tips, 22 April 2009

Full post as published by Stark County Law Library Blawg on April 30, 2009 (boomark / email).