On the Witness Stand: Tell Me Your Story.

Posted By Cliff Tuttle | November 11, 2017

No. 1,360

Image: Chicago’s Real Law Blog

As the day comes closer, many people become apprehensive about giving testimony in court.  One way to relieve the tension is for the witness to rehearse the testimony with counsel.  This enables the witness to obtain a good idea of what he/she is expected to say.  Extraneous information can be culled away.

Don’t worry about forgetting.  Most of the time you are telling a story. A story has a beginning, middle and end.  You start at the beginning and then move along to each next thing.  One link leads to the next.  Don’t get ahead of the questioner. Don’t overthink the answer. With a moderate amount of practice you and your lawyer get into synch. Soon, everything should fall into place. You both get into the flow and hopefully you can ride the wave to the end.

Are you concerned about being cross-examined?  You can rehearse that too. Of course, your lawyer will not anticipate every question.  But practice will give you self-confidence and help you answer directly and credibly.

CLT

Welcome

CLIFF TUTTLE has been a Pennsylvania lawyer for over 45 years and (inter alia) is a real estate litigator and legal writer. The posts in this blog are intended to provide general information about legal topics of interest to lawyers and consumers with a Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania focus. However, this information does not constitute legal advice and there is no lawyer-client relationship created when you read this blog. You are encouraged to leave comments but be aware that posted comments can be read by others. If you wish to contact me in privacy, please use the Contact Form located immediately below this message. I will reply promptly and in strict confidence.

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