5 Ways To Deliver A Killer Cross-Examination (Law360)

"Stephen Neal says a measured, understated approach to questioning can often be more effective because jurors are inclined to want to believe a witness and don't want to see them 'get wailed on.'

'Do a carefully crafted, small-bite-by-small-bite approach,' Neal says. 'You get far more taking little bites in a long path than chomping away.'

Especially in white collar criminal cases where there's less discovery, and sometimes you don't know in advance how a witness will react to your questioning, Neal says if you can construct a tight, logical sequence of questions built on irrefutable logic or indisputable truth, you can go toe to toe with any witness, taking him halfway to the end of the line before he realizes the path you've steered him along."

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