Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Trail Procedure
Trail Procedure
United States
Opening Statements
Opening statements may be
made by either or both sides
in a criminal or civil trial.
Neither side has to make an
opening statement, but they
are common.
The purpose of an opening statement is
to present your case and the facts that
you intend to prove during the trial.
They are not meant to be argumentative.
The side with the burden of proof goes first.
This would be the plaintiff in a civil case or the
state in a criminal case. The other side may go
second or wait until a later part of the trial.
Rules of Evidence
American courtrooms are full of rules regarding the
behavior of all people present, especially attorneys. The
following rules include some of the most important rules
of evidence and will give you a sense of how the rules
protect both sides from an unfair trail.
Form of Questions
A leading question is
one that suggests an
answer. They are not
allowed on direct
examination.
Example of a direct question, “Mr. Smith, what were
you doing on the evening of October 31st?”.
Generally speaking,
witnesses must have
directly seen, heard or
experienced whatever it is
they are testifying about.
Witness Opinions