Recent Articles from Daniel Small, BridgeTower Media Newswires
Five most common faults of trial lawyers
One of the great privileges of being a judge is to be able to speak with jurors after a trial, to thank them and to ask them questions about what they had just witnessed.
Be careful with documents, prior statements
The witness is just settling into the deposition, starting to sense that there may be light at the end of the tunnel, when the questioner pulls out the first document. She waves it around with great flair, asks a few “isn’t-it-true” type questions and slaps it down on the table.
Making an impact on a witness
In past columns, I’ve talked about the “10 Rules” for witnesses as a way to help bridge the wide gap between normal conversation and communicating in a witness environment. The first is easy and natural; the second is difficult and unnatural — and treacherous. The language, rhythm and goals of each are very different.
Tell witnesses to be themselves on the stand
Tell your witness: Get off your stage and talk with people, as a real person. It can be hard to do, but it is necessary.
Witness preparation: Not only permissible, but essential
Just settling into the witness preparation session, your client nervously asks: “What if they ask about preparation?” It’s a frequent question — and concern — from witnesses.
There’s no guessing as a witness
One of the most obvious rules for witnesses is also one of the most difficult for people in everyday life: If you don’t remember, say so.
The witness’ four magic words
Witnesses have both a right and a responsibility to insist on clear and fair questions.
Coaching witnesses: 7 steps to being relentlessly polite
Don’t just tell witnesses to be polite. Tell them to be relentlessly polite.
7 deadly sins of witness preparation
Law schools may do a good job of teaching legal principles and theory, but they often ignore the true focus of real world legal practice: the client.
What it means to prepare a witness
Too many lawyers — including some very good ones — don’t prepare witnesses adequately because they fail to understand that being a witness is dramatically different than anything else the client has experienced.
An unprepared witness is a lost witness
When someone is called as a witness in any kind of legal matter, it’s usually a new and disturbing experience.
Legal News
- Wisconsin attorney loses law license, ordered to pay $16K fine
- Former Wisconsin police officer charged with 5 bestiality felony counts
- Judge reject’s Trump’s bid for a new trial in $83.3 million E. Jean Carroll defamation case
- Dozens of deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police
- The Latest: Supreme Court arguments conclude in Trump immunity case
- Net neutrality restored as FCC votes to regulate internet providers
- Wisconsin Attorney General asks Congress to expand reproductive health services
- Attorney General Kaul releases update at three-year anniversary of clergy and faith leader abuse initiative
- State Bar leaders remain deeply divided over special purpose trust
- Former Wisconsin college chancellor fired over porn career is fighting to keep his faculty post
- Pecker says he pledged to be Trump campaign’s ‘eyes and ears’ during 2016 race
- A conservative quest to limit diversity programs gains momentum in states
WLJ People
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Russell Nicolet
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Benjamin Nicolet
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Dustin T. Woehl
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Katherine Metzger
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Joseph Ryan
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – James M. Ryan
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Dana Wachs
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Mark L. Thomsen
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Matthew Lein
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Jeffrey A. Pitman
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – William Pemberton
- Power 30 Personal Injury Attorneys – Howard S. Sicula