Posted on September 1, 2017 by Julie Brook, Esq.
“The toughest part of being a trial attorney, whether criminal or civil, is pulling off an excellent cross,” says Toni Messina in her article for Above the Law. So, if you’re a new trial attorney, or it’s been a while, it’s natural to be nervous about an upcoming cross-examination. An excellent way to calm your nerves and set yourself up for success is to write down virtually all of your questions and related information in advance. Here’s what to write. Continue reading →
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Filed under: Evidence, Legal Topics, Litigation Strategy, Trial Strategy | Tagged: cross-examination, cross-examining, preparing for trial, questioning a witness, trial attorney, witness examination | Leave a comment »
Posted on February 17, 2017 by Julie Brook, Esq.
Heading to trial? Start your planning by preparing a trial outline. Here are the key things to include and a sample outline to give you an idea how it looks. Continue reading →
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Filed under: Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Evidence, Legal Topics, Litigation Strategy, Trial Strategy | Tagged: elements of causes of action, evidence, legal issues, pre-trial preparation, preparing for trial | Leave a comment »
Posted on December 3, 2014 by Julie Brook, Esq.
Before you prepare a witness for trial, you should know precisely what you expect to accomplish through that witness. In other words, have a plan. Continue reading →
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Filed under: Checklists, Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Legal Topics, Litigation Strategy, Trial Strategy | Tagged: preparing for trial, testifying witness, trial, trial attorney, trial witness | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 19, 2014 by Julie Brook, Esq.
If properly prepared, your testifying client will be relaxed, confident, natural—and a master of pertinent facts. But no one can behave naturally on the stand while trying to keep in mind 50 different facts. When you’re preparing your client to testify, your job is to narrow the case to a few important facts and then fix them in your client’s mind. Continue reading →
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Filed under: Checklists, Civil Litigation, Criminal Law, Legal Topics, Litigation Strategy, Trial Strategy | Tagged: attorney, client, preparing for trial, testifying client, testifying witness, trial, witness | 5 Comments »
Posted on November 8, 2013 by Julie Brook, Esq.
Posted on May 24, 2013 by Julie Brook, Esq.
For discovery to be useful in a case, it must be organized. One effective way to organize discovery is with an issue table. Issue tables are a way to keep track of the main issues, the elements of the claims and defenses, and the relevant evidence. Continue reading →
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Filed under: Civil Litigation, Discovery, Legal Topics, New Lawyers | Tagged: discovery, discovery chart, discovery table, issue table, organizing for trial, pre-trial preparation, preparing for trial, trial preparation | 6 Comments »
Posted on May 3, 2010 by Julie Brook, Esq.
One of the most important tasks when preparing a case for trial is to prepare a trial notebook with everything you’ll need or want during trial. Don’t create your trial notebook to impress a client, an adversary, or another lawyer in your office (although it may do so!); your notebook should reflect your personal style and the particular requirements of the case.
The following should be included in the preparation of your trial notebook: Continue reading →
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Filed under: Litigation Strategy, New Lawyers, Trial Strategy | Tagged: preparing for trial, trial notebook | 11 Comments »
“The toughest part of being a trial attorney, whether criminal or civil, is pulling off an excellent cross,” says Toni Messina in her article for Above the Law. So, if you’re a new trial attorney, or it’s been a while, it’s natural to be nervous about an upcoming cross-examination. An excellent way to calm your nerves and set yourself up for success is to write down virtually all of your questions and related information in advance. Here’s what to write. Continue reading 
