Since a trial is a stressful and tough time, you need to make sure that as a lawyer you have everything in order before the trial begins. But how can you do this? One of the best ways to make sure you are prepared and confident going into the trial is by ensuring everything is organized ahead of time.
The main benefits of using witness preparation (prep) in your trial
If you are preparing for trial, you might be wondering what to include in your pre-trial process. You need to gather information, make your argument, shape your case and include witness preparation (prep) in the process. But why is this important? There are many benefits to including witness preparation (prep) to help you prepare for your trial.
Feel comfortable during the court case
The first benefit including witness preparation (prep) for your pre-trial process is to help the witnesses become confident and comfortable speaking in front of other people. If you practice enough times, the witnesses will get used to speaking in stressful situations, recounting all of the important details, and enunciating clearly. If you throw them into a stressful court case in real-time with no training, they will be unsure of what to say, they can stutter, and they can forget what they were saying altogether. Using witness preparation (prep) ensures that the witnesses used will feel more comfortable when the time comes for the real trial.
Gain an understanding of the case
The next benefit of using witness preparation (prep) in the pretrial process is to help the witness fully comprehend and understand the gravity of the situation. By letting them get a better overall understanding of the case, such as who is involved, the crime committed, and how their testimony can influence the case, they will begin to take the case very seriously and understand the impact they have on the outcome. This ensures they take the case seriously and tell the truth.
How to answer questions effectively
The third benefit of using witness preparation (prep) is the ability to answer questions effectively. Just because they are confident in what they are saying, sometimes they may answer questions incompletely, inaccurately, or with wrong facts. By practicing ahead of time, you can make sure the witnesses have the correct answers to the question that are understood and clearly stated.
Learn not to answer a question
Along with learning how to answer questions thoroughly, clearly, and in-depth to provide a clear picture of what happened, using witness preparation can help witnesses understand when not to answer a question. If the prosecution or the lawyer asks a question that you do not know, do not make up an answer because you think you are helping. Instead, it is okay to say that you do not know the information beyond the scope of equations, avoiding perjuring yourself or answering untruthfully.
Conclusion
Using witness preparation (prep) is a key tool in the pretrial process to increase confidence in the witness and teach them how to answer questions. By providing this practice period, you can rest assured that your witness will know how to completely answer questions, learn when to not answer questions, and gain an understanding of the case.
