What do My Cousin Vinny and Atticus Finch have in common? A lot more than you might think. While Atticus Finch’s closing argument in To Kill a Mockingbird continues to inspire viewers to attend law school, the cross-examinations in My Cousin Vinny—while hilariously funny—offers an equally compelling example of excellent trial advocacy.With the…

 There’s an old saying that you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy. Apparently something similar to this old saying was true for Abraham Lincoln—you could take him out of the courtroom, but you couldn’t take the courtroom out of him. A consummate…

 Exhibits can be effectively used on direct and cross-examination to not only clarify your case narrative but also significantly influence the jury’s understanding and retention of crucial information. Here’s a detailed guide to planning and effectively using exhibits during trial.Objectives of Using ExhibitsThe primary goal of introducing exhibits, including demonstrative evidence like…

 Delighted that Aspen Publishing has just launched the second edition of our evidence book. An essential go-to reference for law students, paralegals, and trial lawyers, Evidence in Practice: Skills and Strategies for Pretrial and Trial, with Practice Exercises, Second Edition is a concise how-to manual for all things evidence. Because traditional law school evidence courses…

 During cross-examination, controlling a witness is crucial, especially when they employ evasive tactics. Here are six effective techniques to manage this situation, each increasing in confrontational tone, tailored to the witness’s level of evasiveness.Establishing Agreement: Start by encouraging the witness to answer simply with “yes” or “no.” For example: “Dr. Best, can we agree…

 F. Lee Bailey cross-examining Mark Fuhrman in the O.J. Simpson caseThis article delves into the intricacies of Federal Rule 613 or its state rule counterpart, which governs the use of prior inconsistent statements during cross-examination, and provides techniques for effectively impeaching a witness with a prior inconsistent statement. Additionally, it offers two notable cases…