when can attorney represent witnesses and cross exam them

As you finish with each of your witnesses (and your testimony), the agency attorney will cross-examine. As stated before, you will have a second chance to ask questions of each witness. Even if you choose not to testify, the agency attorney may cross-examine you.

Full Answer

What is the plaintiff's attorney's role in cross examination?

Prosecutors should prepare a cross-examination for each witness in light of each of these goals. This is critical because the defendant’s witnesses may provide the last testimony heard by the jury prior to closing argument. However, the prosecutor can make use of cross-examination to

What happens if a witness talks to a lawyer before cross examination?

Aug 12, 2014 · Attorneys cannot speak to witnesses they present or parties they represent once they become subject to cross-examination, with the exception of a criminal defendant.

What is a cross examination in law?

Which attorney does the initial questioning of the witness?

How long does it take to cross-examine a witness?

The overwhelming majority of witnesses can be cross-examined in 30 minutes or less even in very complicated cases. Effective cross-examination makes a point quickly and keeps the jury engaged from the moment you ask your first question until you pass the witness for re-direct.

What is the art of cross examination?

The Art Of Cross-Examination. By Gerald A. Klein. While direct examination may be the hardest – and most important – part of any trial, cross-examination is usually the most fun. Unfortunately, most lawyers do not cross-examine witnesses well and forget that the purpose of cross-examination is not simply to attack an adversary, ...

What happens when you ask an open ended question?

When you ask an open-ended question, or a question where you do not know what the answer will be, the witness may hit that question out of the ballpark. The only exception to asking a question where you do not know what the answer will be is where no answer could possibly help the witness.

Tell the Truth

Tell the Truth#N#Tell the truth. This is so important that I listed it first, and repeated it. No matter how much you think the truth will hurt your case, I can guarantee you that lying to the Court can hurt you more. Once you lose your credibility with a Judge, you will never be believed again, on anything, even when you do tell the truth.

Listen Carefully to the Entire Question

Listen Carefully to the Entire Question#N#Don't start to answer before you have heard the entire question. This is sometimes hard for people to remember when under the pressure of being on the witness stand. However, you cannot properly answer a question unless you hear the entire question and understand it.

Don't Answer a Question Unless You Fully Understand It

Don't Answer a Question Unless You Fully Understand It#N#If opposing counsel asks you a question you don't understand, you should tell the Judge that you don't understand the question. Opposing counsel will then re-word it. However, don't get cute and say you don't understand a question that anyone would understand.

Give Your Attorney a Chance to Make an Objection

Give Your Attorney a Chance to Make an Objection#N#Pause before you answer each question. You should do so anyway, to give yourself a chance to think about the question and your answer.

Don't Guess

Don't Guess#N#If you don't remember, say that you don't remember. Opposing counsel is entitled to your best recollection, but isn't entitled to speculation by you. Do not speculate or guess. Sometimes the only truthful answer is "I don't know" or "I don't remember."

Don't Express Anger and Don't Argue With Opposing Counsel

Don't Express Anger and Don't Argue With Opposing Counsel#N#Some attorney like to provoke anger in a witness, especially in certain family law matters like custody or restraining order hearings. Don't take the bait. Even if you feel angry, don't give the attorney the satisfaction of seeing it. Count to 10 in your head if you have to.

No Humor

No Humor#N#You may be the life of the party. You may use humor as a defense when you're nervous. However, when you're in Court, you must be serious. No joking, and absolutely NO SARCASM. The transcript doesn't have inflections, so a sarcastic response sounds exactly the same as a serious response on the record.