CrossExamination a Few Tips on CrossExamination June 2012

7/29/2019 CrossExamination a Few Tips on CrossExamination June 2012

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AFewTipson

Cross-Examination

June2012Edition

ALSWesternZone

CLEPresentation

MarkDennis

ForbesChambersT:(02)93907777

F:(02)91019318

M:0408277374E:[email protected]


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Thispaperiswrittenfromacriminaldefenceperspective.

The most recent edition of this paper can be found on the internet at

www.CriminalCLE.net.auontheAdvocacyPageofthatwebsite.Ifyouhaveafreeemail subscription to that site you will automatically be notified of the

publicationofamorerecenteditionofthispaperwheneveritisupdated.

__________________________________________

Muchhasbeenwrittenonthistopicbypeoplefarmoreeminentthantheauthor

of this paper. There are countless books, digital recordings, workshops,seminars,trainingcoursesetc.thatareavailabletoadefencepractitioner.Itis

acknowledgedattheoutsetthatprofessionalmindsmayreasonablydifferasto

theopinionsexpressedinthispaper.

Masteringtheimpreciseartofcross-examinationisataskthatwillconsumetheprofessionaladvocatefromthefirsttolastdayoftheircareer.Whatfollowsisa

briefoutlineofa few tipsbasedonsomeof the things Ihavelearntover the

years. Itby nomeans covers the field ofthiscomplexanddifficult topic,butratherisofferedinthehopethatitmaybeofsomeassistanceaspartofamuch

broaderandongoinglearningexperience.

TipsForBeginnersYouwillspendyourentirecareertryingtoperfectthisart.DONOTbetoohard

onyourselfifyoufeelthatyouarenothighlyexpertintheearlystagesofyour

career.This is the hardestpart ofadvocacy. Youwillmakemistakes, ask dudquestionsyouwishyouhadnt,andthinkofquestionslaterthatyouwishedyou

had,etc.foraslongasyourpracticeasanadvocate.Thismonkeywillstayonyourbackforever,nomatterhowgoodyouget.Getusedtothepresenceofthat

monkey,anddontletitbotheryoutothepointoflosingconfidenceandfaithin

your ability to develop your skills in the longer term. The ability to cross-examineeffectivelyis aworkinprogress thatwillnot finishuntiltheday you

retirefromprofessionaladvocacy.

Manypeople startingout in their first fewhearingswriteout eachand every

questiontheyintendtoask.Thisisaperfectlylegitimateapproachforsomebodywhoisnewandfeelingalittlechallengedintermsofself-confidence(Icertainly

did it).However,you should not rely onthis technique beyond your first few

defendedhearings,asitwillnotgeneratehigherqualitycross-examinationinthelongerterm.Whenyouareonyourfeetinthosefirstfewhearings,experiment

with departing from the script occasionally for the purpose of clarifying

answers,orpursuingaparticularthemefurther.


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Try to progressively build your skills in departing from the script / notes

where necessary in order topursue or challenge unfavourable evidence as it

emerges.

Afteryouhavehadafewgoes,abandonthewriteouteveryquestionapproach.

Thosestartingout incriminalpracticemightbefurther assistedbymypaper

PreparingForAHearingintheLocalCourt.

MoreGeneralTips

IdentifyTheUnderlyingEmotionoftheCase

Criminaltrialsarelikepopmusiceverysonghasanunderlyingemotion(albeit

sometimesaverysimpleemotion).Everycriminalcasealsohasanunderlying

emotion,andinacriminaltrialthetribunaloffactisdutyboundtolisten.

Anallegationofchild sexual assaultbrings forththeemotion thatchildsexualassaultisaputridcrimecommittedbydeeplyevilpeople.

Anallegationofmurderwill likelybringforth theemotionthatalifehasbeentragicallycutshortinviolentcircumstances.

Anallegationofbreakenterandstealfromaresidentialdwellingbringsforththe

emotion that someone has had their home violated and their hard earnedpossessionstakenfromthembysomeunworthysoul.

Defencepractitioners should not lose touchwithwhatordinarycitizens think

aboutsuchmatters(inthecaseofjurytrials),norforgetthatjudicialofficersarepeopletoo(inthecaseofMagistratesorJudgealonetrials).Aburntoutcynicism

borneof toomany years in criminalpractice is apoor substitute for forensicjudgment.

So what is the relevance of this underlying emotion, and why botheridentifying it? A trial advocate may seek to nullify the negative underlying

emotion in an opening address e.g. there is no issue in this trial that child

sexualassaultisanappallingcrime.Itmayalsoinfluencethemannerinwhichyou cross-examine. By being aware of any such issue, you can retain the

appearanceofreasonablenessbeforethetribunaloffact,andclearthewayforamoreunimpededcross-examinationthatmoreeffectivelypursuesyourforensic

goals.


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YouShouldNotHaveASolitaryAdvocacyStyle

A good advocate should have a range of styles to suit the range of different

circumstancesthatyouwillinevitablyconfrontduringthecourseofpracticeasacriminaldefencelawyer.

An advocates range of styles will often be shaped by a combination of theirpersonality,professionalexperiences,andtheinfluencestheyhavebeenexposed

to during the course of their professional development. A range of different

stylesmayberequiredwithinasinglecase,orevenwithinasinglewitness.

The underlying emotion of the case may influence the style of cross-examinationforagivenwitnessoraspectofthecase.Thereisnosinglecorrect

answerastowhatstylesuitsaparticularsetofcircumstances,howeversome

generalisedsuggestionsfollow:

PoliceWhoAreAllegedlyFabricatingEvidence

Thisissuemaywellrequiresomefairlyaggressiveadvocacy,atleastwhenyou

gettothenuboftheissue.Aggressivemaymeanaraisedandsharptoneforone advocate, or a series of calm but highly pointed questions for another.

Whateverthepreference,therewillbeunmistakableforensicconflictconveyed

throughcross-examinationattheappropriatemoment.

AComplainantinaChildSexMatter

Thiscircumstancewillrequiresimplelanguagesuchthatthechildiscapableofunderstanding the questions. A friendly tone (think The Wiggles, RomperRoomorPlaySchool)maywellbeappropriatesoasnottosignaltothechild

thatyourpurposemaybetoteardowntheircredibilityinitsentirety.Itmightbe

appropriate to leave theBrownevDunnquestionstotheendandputtheminshortformsoastoavoidsignalingyourpurposetothechild,and/orupsetting

theminawaythatthetribunaloffactdevelopsconsiderablesympathyforthechild,andconsiderablylesssympathyforyourcaseasaresult.

AnAdultComplainantinASexMatter

Yourcasemightbethatsexualcontactoccurred,butitwasconsensual.Consentin the circumstances might imply promiscuity on the part of both the

complainantandaccused.Openlydisrespectfulquestioningofacomplainantina

tone that implies moral condemnation for having engaged in promiscuousbehaviourisunwiseinthatitcreatesasubstantialriskofgarneringsympathyfor

the complainantand losing the sympathyof the tribunaloffact for your case.

Consideranunfailinglypolitetone,alwaysreferringtothecomplainantasMiss(Surname)ratherthantheirfirstname.Ifitbethecasethatthecomplainanthas

allegedly been promiscuous in the circumstances, allow the evidence todemonstrate that, rather than seeking to imply it through open disrespect or

rudeness.Nevergetonthewrongsideofthepoliticalcorrectnessofthisissueasaproductofyouradvocacystyle.


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Try to avoid making the complainant distressed to the point of tears. Acomplainantwhocriesinfrontofthetribunaloffactmaywellgarnersympathy.

Ifyoufeelthewitnessisteeteringneartheedgeoftears,itmaybewisetoinvitetheJudge/Magistratetoofferthecomplainantabreak.Bydoingso,youappear

reasonable to the tribunal of fact, and minimise the risk of the complainantgarneringsympathy.

TheVictimofASeriousExampleofGrievousBodilyHarm

Thevictimofsuchamattermaywellbegrosslydisfiguredand/orpermanently

physically impaired as a result of the alleged offence. The central issuemayrequirerobustcross-examinatione.g.self-defence,ormotivetolie inthecase

ofoutrightdenial.

Cross-examinationto theeffectthatthevictimhassufferedpermanentchangestotheirlifestyle,employmentorcareerprospects,physicalappearance,etc.will

likelyrequireconsiderablesensitivityifyoudonotwanttolosethesympathyofthetribunaloffactforyourcase,and/orhavetheallegedvictimgainsympathy.

ButyoumayneedtoputthesemattersinevidenceforthepurposesofaBrownv

Dunnepropositionthattheallegedvictimisembitteredandthisembitteredstate

iscolouringtheevidenceadversetoyourclient.

Thusyoumightrequireatleasttwodifferentstylesofadvocacywithinthecross-examinationofthewitnessreferredtoabove.

HaveACaseTheory

Priortocommencingadefendedmatteryoushouldhaveaclearnotionofwhyit

isthatyourclientisnotguilty.Nothavinganargumentorcasetheoryasto

whyyourclientisnotguiltyisnotaprofessionallycompetentthingtodo.Whilst

hopemayspringeternal,theideathataviabledefencemaysuddenlyemergein

thecourseoftheevidencewill,intheoverwhelmingmajorityofcases,amountto

nothingmorethanwishfulthinking.Suchwishfulthinkingwillresultintheloss

oftheutilitarianvalueofapleaofguilty.

EnsureThatThereisStructureToYourCross-Examination

Structure is important. Do your utmost to avoid criss-crossing between

themes or issues that you are cross-examining about. If you cannot logically

pursuethethemesorissuesyouwishtopursue,youcannotreasonablyexpect

thetribunaloffacttofollowyourargumentorcasetheory.

An argument or issue that is not understood by the tribunal of fact due to a

poorlystructuredpresentationisanargumentmorelikelytoberejected.


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I have heard it said by another practitioner that cross-examination is about

askingtherightquestionsintherightorder.Thisissoundadviceindeed.

PreparingForCross-ExaminationTypeYourNotes

Typingyournotes,completewithheadingsandsub-headingswillaidinensuring

structure. During your preparation you can cut and paste, re-visit issues, re-

consideryourtacticalapproach,addinnewthemesnotpreviouslyconsidered,

etc.

This method will increase your preparation time, but will also increase the

quality of your cross-examination. The troublewith handwrittennotes is you

maywelllosesomeoftheflexibilitytoreviseandrefine.Ascribbledpagewith

lotsofswirlsandarrowsismuchhardertofollowwhenyouareonyourfeet.

Theriskoferrororomissionisgreatlyincreased.

UsePlainLanguage

If youdo not use plain language there is every risk that thewitnesswill not

understand the question.Further the tribunalof factmay not understand thequestion.

Ifyouarenotreadilyunderstood,thenyoureffortsarefruitless.

AvoidLong-WindedQuestions

Again,ifyouasklong-windedquestions,youmaynotbeunderstood;eitherby

thewitness,orbythetribunaloffact,orboth.Ifyouarenotreadilyunderstood,again,youreffortsarefruitless.

AskLeadingQuestions

Cross-examinationisnotSpeechDayforprosecutionwitnesses.Ifyouallowitto

beso,prosecutionwitnesseswillsayallmannerofthings,andgiveallmannerof

reasonsinjustificationofwhattheywishtosay.Thiswillleaveyouinaforensic

positionthatisakintothatofapersonwhohasbeengiventhetaskofherding

cats.Youwillfacethehighlychallengingtaskoftryingtoputthingsbackinto

somesemblanceoforderconsistentwithyourcasetheory.

Leadingquestionshavetheeffectofcontrollingthewitness,limitingwhatthey

areabletosay,andoftensuggestingtothemtheappropriateanswer.Askleading

questions.


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KnowtheRelevantLaw

Knowing the relevant lawwill helpyou to shapeyour cross-examinationand

selectyourthemes.Cross-examinewithaviewtosteeringtheevidenceaway

fromelementsthatareessentialproofsfortheprosecutionand/ortrytosteertheevidencetowardsanavailabledefence,orintoadarkshadowof(reasonable)

doubtastoanessentialproof.

Adiscussionofusingthelegaldefinitionofoffensivetoassistinformulationof

cross-examinationinamatterofoffensivelanguageoroffensivemannercanbe

found on pages 4 to 8 inclusive of my paper Dog Arse Cunts ADiscussionPaperonLawofOffensiveLanguageandOffensiveManner.Afurtherexample

ofusingthe lawpertaining topossessionofdrugstoassist in formulatingthecross-examinationofpolicecanbefoundatpages2and3ofmypaper Cross-

ExaminationofPolice.

WatchOtherAdvocates(BothGoodAndBad).

This is useful for practitioners at all levels of experience, and is particularly

usefulforlessexperiencedpractitioners.

Incorporate techniques and styles of other advocates that you believe were

effective.JuniorpractitionersintheLocalandChildrensCourtshouldnotbeshy

aboutlearningfromexperiencedpoliceprosecutorsinthisregard.

Makeamentalnoteofpooradvocacythatyouhaveseen,andresolvenottocopy

it.

Nevertrytopreciselyreplicatethestyleofanysingleadvocate.Youdonotshare

the exactsamepersonality, nor the exactsameset of personalorprofessional

influencesorlifesexperiences.

Watchasmanydifferent advocatesasyoucan,especially inthe early yearsof

your career. You can learnmany things from different advocates, and shouldendeavour tobecome a blend of different effective methods and techniques

thatyouhaveseenandheardandaresuitedtoyou.

Cross-ExamineWithanCloseEyeTowardsWhatYouWouldLiketoSayin

ClosingAddress

This issue isvery closely connected tothe notion ofhaving a casetheory.A

closingaddressshouldseektodrawtogethervariousstrandsofevidenceforthe

purposesofmountingahighly persuasive argument. Suchevidencewill come

from a rangeof sources, andmayormaynothave been the subject of cross-examinationbythedefenceadvocate.However,ifthereisathemeyouwishto


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pursue,youmaybeprohibitedfromdoingsoasyouhavenotcross-examinedon

itpursuanttotherulein BrownvDunne.Itisimportant,therefore,toenvisage

closing address to a substantial degree when preparing and conducting

contested criminal litigation, including the preparation and conduct of cross-

examination.

CloseAllTheGatesInthePaddockBeforeAimingAttheBullseye

If you want to force a witness to concede a point (or have the point as an

inevitableconclusion,eveniftheydonotconcedeit),thenyouwillneedtoaskquestionsthatcloseoffallpossibleescaperoutesbeforeseekingtopressthat

ultimatepoint.

A common example of closing the gates is one often used by interviewing

policeasfollows:

Q.Isthatyourphone?

A.Yes.

Q.Doesanybodyelseusethatphone?

A.No

Thesuspecthasnowlockedthemselvesintobeingatlocationsthatcorrespond

withthecallchargerecordsofaphonethatmayormaynotberegisteredintheirname.Suchanassertionbytheprosecutionwillhighlylikelybeacceptedbythe

tribunaloffact.Anyassertionstothecontrarywillbereadilycharacterisedas

obviouslies.Thegateshavebeenclosed.Thebullseyeawaitstheprosecutor.

WhenYouHittheBullseyeMoveOn

Whenyouhavegottheevidencewhereyouwantittobeleaveitthereand

moveon.

You should have sufficient discipline as an advocate not to tinker with goodevidence.Askingfurtherquestionsonlypresentsawitnesswithanopportunity

tochangetheirevidenceandundoallyourpreviouseffortsontherelevantpoint.

Ihaveheardmanyanexperiencedadvocateexpresstheaboveideassuccinctlywithwords to the effect: WhenDaniel escaped from the lions den, heneverwent back for his hat. I confess to lacking sufficient familiaritywith the Old

TestamenttohaveeverascertainedwhetherDanielwaswearingahatinthefirst

place,howevertheimageryisbothrelevantandsuccinct.

WatchTheWitnessSenseTheLie

Body language is an incredibly important form of communication. Often the

credibilityofawitnesswillcomedowntonotwhattheysay,buthowtheysayit.

Observing the body languageofawitness is very important in assisting yourforensicjudgmentinsensingwhenthewitnessislying.


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Inour liveswedealwith real estate agents, car salesmen, friends,colleagues,acquaintancesandallmannerofotherswhoareseekingtotellusastory. We

assessandconsiderwhatwearebeingtoldandformaviewwhetherwebelieveit. Part ofwhatwedo (whetherconsciouslyorotherwise) is take inthe body

languageofthepersonwearelisteningto.Youshouldutilisetheseeverydaylifeskillsinthecourtroomtoassistyourforensicjudgment.

Awitnesswholooksdownorawaywhenaskedacriticalclarificationquestion

byaMagistrateor Judgealone isunlikely tobebelieved. Thereare countlessotherexamples.

ListentoTheWitnessFollowTheEvidence/HearTheLie

If you do not listen carefully to the witness, you may completely miss an

important pieceofevidence. Ifyou listen carefully you can readily respond tounexpectedissuesastheyarise.

Aswithbodylanguage,thesoundofthewordsspokenbythewitnessmaytell

you something about the truthfulness orotherwise of the witness. A hesitanttone, distress, an awkward pause, a gruff response may betray the emotion

behind the answer. In our everyday lives we make assessments as to the

credibilityandreliabilityofthosewemeetandspeakwith.Theseeverydaylifeskillsshouldcomeintosharpfocusduringyourtimeinacourtroom.Usethemto

yourforensicadvantage.

LookForTheThingThatisContrarytoHumanNatureBeIntuitiveAboutHumanBehaviour

I received this tip from an eminent silk many years ago. It remains themost

useful piece of advocacy advice I have ever received. Just as watching andlistening to the witness carefully allows you to gain a much improved

assessmentofthewitnesscredibility,sotooyoursenseofhumannatureandcommon sense will allow you to sense an inherently implausible lie. Again,

youreverydaylifeskillsandeverydayinstinctswillplayasignificantroleinyour

advocacy.Beingintuitiveaboutpeopleisanimportantadvocacyskill.

IfYouGiveaWitnessaChoiceofBlamingThemselvesorBlamingSomeone

Else,TheyWillAlmostAlwaysBlameSomeoneElse.

Peopleareoftenreluctanttoadmittowrongdoingormistakes.Peopleonpublic

displayinawitnessboxareoftenespeciallyreluctanttoadmitsuchthings.

Acarefullyframedquestionofferingawitnessthechoiceofblamingthemselves

orblamingsomeoneelsewillveryoftenyieldaresponsetotheeffectthatitis

someoneelsesfault.Playtheindependentwitnessesoffagainstthecontentiouswitnesses. Make the independent witnesses blame free and the contentious


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witnessesblameworthy.Policeareoftenespeciallygoodatlettingthemselvesoff

thehookattheexpenseoftheircivilianwitnesses.

RecruitIndependentWitnessesToYourCause.

Awitnesswhoischaracterisedasanindependentwitnessismorelikelytobebelievedthanonewhoisperceivedashavingamotivetolie.

Ifanindependentwitness isagainstyouonamatter ofsubstance,and theirreliabilityhasnotbeenundermined,thenyourcaseisintrouble.Conversely,if

theindependentwitnessesareconsistentwithyourcase,andinconsistentwiththeprosecutioncase,youshouldtwisttheknifewithoutmercyinthepartof

yourclosingaddressthatdealswiththisissue.

Police officers can become your friends (for a limited time) as highly useful

independent witnesses if the evidence suits that characterisation. Asubmissionstotheeffectthatthetribunaloffactwouldprefertheindependent

evidenceofthepoliceofficertheyhavenoreasonlie,orsimilarlyyoushould

believethepolice-canhaveadevastatingeffectontheprosecutioncase.Lawabidingcitizenssittingasjurorsarethoughttobeparticularlyreceptivetosucha

submission.

AngryWitnessesOftenSayDumbThings.

Have you ever heard someonesay something in anger that they later regret?

Have you noticed that angrypeople often fail togive proper consideration towhat they are saying? Have you ever noticed that an angry person is highly

susceptibletoutteringdistortions,grossexaggerations,orjustplainlies?Allof

thesehumanfailingsareoftenseeninthewitnessbox.Withinethicallimits,itis

alegitimateforensictooltoseektoelicitadegreeofangerfromthewitnessfor

the purposes of eliciting answers the product of the abovementioned human

failings,andusingthoseanswerstoimpeachtheircredibility.

Anangrywitnesswilloftenamounttoagiftthatkeepsongivingtothecross-

examiner.

Anger can be elicitedwithouthaving to ask improperorunethical questions.

Perfectly legitimate questions can convey a hint of aggression through tone,

manner,timing,acceleratedpaceofquestioningetc.Acommonexampleisthe

typical prosecution cross-examination of an accused person who has raised a

self-defence issue in answer toanallegation ofpersonalviolence.Prosecutors

willoftenlaunchcross-examinationinafastandfuriousfashionwithaviewto

angering the accused, thus showing that he / she is a person of generally

aggressivedisposition,wouldbeinherentlylikelytobemotivatedbyaggression

orrevenge rather than self-defence.Ona goodday, a prosecutor can have an


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angryaccusedreadilyadmitsuchthings,thusdestroyingallprospectsofforensic

successforthedefence.

YoungWorkingClass/WelfareClassMenAreMoreOftenQuicktoAnger

(AndThusMoreOftenSayDumbThings)

Youngmen are full of testosterone. Youngmen aremore inclined to resolve

conflictthroughactsofaggressionthanothergroupsinthegeneralpopulation.

Less well-educated youngmen are often less articulate. Such youngmen are

oftenlessabletoengage inthe forensic battle ofwords thatoftentakesplace

during the course of cross-examination. A sense of frustration can quickly

manifestitselfasanger.Suchangeroftenresultsisgiftsforthecross-examiner.

Youmaythinkthattheaboveissomewhatpoliticallyincorrect.Whetherthatbe

so or not, it is something I have noticedcountless times inmy career. Young

workingclass/welfareclassmenoftenrepresenttheeasiestofalltargetsduring

cross-examinationincriminalmatters.

PeopleWillBelieveDocumentsBeforeTheyBelievePeople

Independentdocumentsareavaluablesourceofevidence.Recurringthemesin

criminal litigationincludeaccountsgiven tomedicalpractitioners,counsellors,

police at the scene by way of notebook entries, telephone records, banking

records etc. Almost invariably the tribunal of fact will believe a

contemporaneous record and / or business record in preference to a later

account in oral evidence. Documents can be crucial in the assessment of the

credibilityoftheoralevidenceofawitness.

Alwaysrememberpeoplewillbelievedocumentsbeforetheybelievepeople.

Usethisguidingthoughtinthecourseofyouradvocacy.

UseOtherVisualAidsOrSightGags.

Apicturepaintsathousandwords.Takeapicture,printit,giveitacaption,and

tenderitthroughawitness.Thiswillengagethetribunaloffactfarmorereadily

thana thousandwordsoforalevidence. The tribunaloffactmay beperfectly

bored listening tomany hoursordays of oral evidence. Tendering a physical

exhibitoravisualaidwillengagethetribunaloffactandgivesomerealworld

contexttotheevidencetowhichitrelates.Inthecaseofjurytrials,itwillgive

jurorsavisualreminderoftherelevantpartoftheevidenceduringthecourseof

theirdeliberations.


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DoNotAllowtheWitnesstoRepeatTheirEvidenceInChief

A lie repeated often enough becomes the truth. So spoke Vladimir Ulyanov

(Lenin). Never let the witness repeat their evidence in chief under cross-

examination, lest it be more likely received as the truth as a direct result ofhavingbeenrepeated.

NeverLetYourIdleCuriosityGetTheBetterofYou

Young playersare sometimes prone to falling into this trap.The purposeofcontested criminal litigation from the defenceperspective isnot tosatisfy the

advocatespersonalcuriosityaboutwhatreallyhappened,nortoengageina

thoroughfactfindinginquirywhereallisrevealed.Sometimeslessismore.Yourpurposeistoethicallypresentacaseconsistentwithyourinstructionsto

persuadethetribunaloffactthatyourclientshouldbeacquitted.

SaveTheUltimatePointOrInferenceForTheTribunalOfFact

There is some tension between this concept and the rule in Brown vDunne.

Sometimes youwillberequired toput the point tothewitness inorder tobe

abletoaddressonit.

Wherepossible,savetheultimateinferencefortheclosingaddress.Puttingtherelevantassertionbeforethewitnessunnecessarilyonlyallowsthewitnessthe

opportunitytoexplainitaway.

AlwaysHaveaForensicPurposetoYourQuestion

If your question has no forensic purpose, then why ask it? Relevance is the

touchstoneofadmissibility.Thebenchwilltypicallyallowsomeleeway,however

youshouldretainanotionalcapacitytoarguethepointofanyobjectionbased

onrelevance.

Atrapforyoungplayersisthemistakenbeliefthatquantityequalsquality.A

misguidedefforttoemulateadetailedlengthy,forensiccross-examinationthattheyhaveseenfromamoreseniorcolleaguedoesnotassist.

DontCross-ExamineAboutMattersNot inDispute, Or IrrelevantToThe

IssuesAtHand.

Thisisawasteofyourtime,thecourtstimeandyourclientstime.Worsestill,

yourunthegraveriskthatthetribunaloffactwillloseinterestinyoubroaderargument.


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LearnFromYourMistakes

There is no such creature as the perfect advocate, nor any such thing as the

perfect cross-examination.All advocatesmakemistakes.Thebetter advocates

learnfromtheirmistakesand resolvenot torepeatthem.Endeavournevertomake the samemistake twice. Endeavour tokeepyourmistakerateaslow as

possibleasadirectresultoflearningfromyourmistakes.

Keepamemorybankofwhatworkedandwhatdidntwork.In the futureyou

willbeabletopullthingsoutofyourmemorybankasrequiredwhenyouareon

yourfeet.

________________________________________

Ihopetheabovehasbeenofsomehelp.Continueonthelearningcurveuntilthe

dayyouretire.

MarkDennis

FORBESCHAMBERS

June2012