Oct 2, 2024
Brevity is the soul of wit. Irvin Younger may not have been Shakespeare, but his lectures have become a cornerstone for young lawyers learning the art and science of cross-examinations. Jack Russo and Professor Bob Acker know examinations can be daunting and confusing if you are not properly prepared and can result in a trial loss for you and your client. The trick is to follow Younger’s 10 Commandments which rejects the previously accepted ways of thinking and implements a set of guidelines for skilled and concise examinations that win over judge and jurors.
10 Commandments of Cross-Examination
- Be brief.
- Short questions, plain words.
- Always ask leading questions.
- Don't ask a question to which you do not know the answer.
- Listen to the witness' answers.
- Don't quarrel with the witness.
- Don't allow the witness to repeat his direct testimony.
- Don't permit the witness to explain his answers.
- Don't ask the "one question too many."
- Save the ultimate point of your cross for summation.
9 Rules of Impeachment
- Did the witness understand the oath that he took?
- Was the witness a percipient witness from the events by which he testified?
- Did the witness remember and is able to remember these events?
- Is he able to recount them?
- Does the witness have a good or bad reputation for truth telling in his neighborhood?
- Is the witness is biased or prejudice against the parties or has the witness has been bribed to give his testimony?
- Has the witness been convicted of a crime?
- Has a witness made a prior inconsistent statement that contradicts his testimony?
- Has the witness committed other prior bad acts?
Encore Edition
Jack Russo
Managing Partner
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackrusso
"Every Entrepreneur Imagines a Better World"®️