Any Questions?
A Trial Lawyer’s Guide to Interviewing, Questioning & Interrogating Witnesses
Stephen D. Easton
Even the strongest case depends upon the words and impressions created by witnesses. The ability to effectively present your witnesses, or to successfully disrupt opposing witnesses defines the great advocate. Are you ready to take your skills from good to great? Don’t miss this highly practical program, with experienced litigator and acclaimed advocacy teacher Steve Easton in which he synthesizes the rules of the courtroom with the craft of advocacy, to provide an indispensable guide for handling witnesses before and at trial. In just three hours, you’ll improve your ability to:
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Prepare a witness for trial or discovery
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Know when to stay out of the witness’s way - and when (and how) to save a struggling witness
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Put Irving Younger’s 10 Commandments of Cross – with Easton’s 10 contemporary corollaries – to work for you
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Identify problems in cross and fix them in redirect
Program Agenda & Detail
3 Hours
[Part I: 90 Minutes]
Witnesses: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Interviewing Witnesses in Informal Settings
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Goals and Pitfalls – Dos and Don’ts
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Preparing a Witness for Trial
Questioning Witnesses in Discovery
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Getting the Witness to Talk
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Pinning Down the Witness
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Questioning Witnesses in Examination-in-chief
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Goals and Pitfalls of Direct
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Staying Out of the Witness’s Way
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Helping the Struggling Witness
Break
[Part II: 90 Minutes]
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Interrogating Witnesses in Cross-examination
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The Myth of Cross-Examination
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Goals and Pitfalls
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The Three Types of Cross
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Younger’s 10 Commandments of Cross
Handling Witnesses in Re-examination
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Myths About Redirect Examination
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Effective, Targeted Redirect
Program Wrap-Up and Evaluation
[Adjourn]
Unconditional Guarantee
If you are not convinced that your understanding of the course topic has
improved after completion of any P.E.G.® seminar, we will refund your course tuition.