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it seems single concept, closed questions really do work in cross-examination.
before you @ me, let me provide some context for that comment.
thread/
before you @ me, let me provide some context for that comment.
thread/
those of us who've been in practice (see, i'm learning) a little while know self improvement takes concerted effort in the absence of supervision & constructive feedback (judicial outbursts don't count). watching leading counsel has been invaluable recently & got me pondering...
what does an advocate who already has the basic skills do to fine tune their advocacy? turns out the answer is: go back to basics.
following the rules was all well & good fresh out of bar school but i was often lacking the confidence to bring it home. with age & experience...
following the rules was all well & good fresh out of bar school but i was often lacking the confidence to bring it home. with age & experience...
came confidence but also bad habits. if you've ever read a transcript of yourself asking questions, you might know that cringeworthy realisation we don't sound like we think we do.
so after a few hours of @AdvocacyPodcast, i'm trial prepping & writing out every. darn. question.
so after a few hours of @AdvocacyPodcast, i'm trial prepping & writing out every. darn. question.
1 question, 1 concept. build the chapters. make the case. can i live with that answer? rephrase.
tbh i wasn't sure what difference it would make, but when i finished my xx, counsel representing the other parent in the case turned to the judge & said she had no questions.
tbh i wasn't sure what difference it would make, but when i finished my xx, counsel representing the other parent in the case turned to the judge & said she had no questions.
not a single one. now maybe i got lucky but frankly that's never happened to me in my career. lawyers always want to ask questions. even ones that have already been asked.
i don't *think* i was rubbish before but systematically revisiting 1st principles was clearly effective.
i don't *think* i was rubbish before but systematically revisiting 1st principles was clearly effective.
so there you have it. @MsBibins & her powerhouse cast of multi-jurisdictional expert advocates have taken me back to school. i recommend @AdvocacyPodcast to the fresh-faced & slightly less fresh-faced advocate. the conversations are delightful & loaded with advice. go listen!
arning erdning arning erdning rdninge
this last tweet, no idea where that came from & it does not speak to my skills as an advocate. 
