The Barrister’s Toolbox
A Resource for Trial Advocacy
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Why Sorry is the Badest Word…
An expression of regret or an apology by a Defendant is nothing new when a case doesn’t settle and finally makes it to trial. However, should this be allowed? Why no! Defendants should be prohibited from expressing any apologies or statements of regret to the jury in connection with a civil case not seeking punitive…
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Does an Oath Inoculate a Medical Witness from Being Biased in Favor of Other Healthcare Providers?
“Cross-examination is the greatest legal engine ever invented for the discovery of truth.” – John Henry Wigmore The existence of financial bias is a well established area of cross-examination when dealing with the credibility of witnesses and experts alike. Indiana law is clear that the income of an expert derives from his/her work as an expert…
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Impeccable Impeachment and the Use of Prior Convictions
“Trust is not simply a matter of truthfulness, or even constancy. It is also a matter of amity and goodwill. We trust those who have our best interests at heart, and mistrust those who seem deaf to our concerns.” Gary Hamel What are the limitations on the use of prior convictions in challenging a witness’s…
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Do it for the love…
Today I learned Magistrate LaRue died after leaving legacy of doing justice on the bench as fine and fair jurist. As a private attorney she advocated for civil rights for the everyday man. She did it for the love. A friend of my son Al, John Overton, released a rap/hip hop Album “While I…
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Limiting the Damage
So you lose an evidentiary argument and the court allows some potentially prejudicial evidence to be presented for some narrow purpose such as bias, impeachment or to show intent, similar plan, motive or scheme. So what should you do? Indiana follows “the rule of multiple admissibility” endorsed by the evidence treatises of both Whitmore…
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