Training Witnesses to Testify Credibly

You trust your Trial Counsel to do a great job.
What about your witnesses?

Cases turn on the credibility of just one witness; are you sure that yours will be believed? Cases go to trial when each sides believes that its position will prevail. Each side thinks that its story, as told by their witnesses, will be accepted by the judge or jury. Yet, so often, the testimony of truthful witnesses is disbelieved, or the testimony of untruthful witnesses is accepted.

Usually, the perceived credibility of a witness is determined, NOT by the substance of his/her testimony, but by subtle factors, often entirely unrelated to a case. How well your jury relates to your witness can dramatically affect how your witness will be perceived. Why leave that to chance. You tell your witnesses what to look out for on the stand or during depositions. You warn them where the pitfalls and weakness may be. We train your witnesses in the craft of oral testimony. We also train attorneys in the methods we use to develop greater credibility in the witnesses they proffer. Better-trained witnesses are more effective communicators, and less likely to undermine your case by appearing weak, uncertain or equivocal.

We provide training for individual witnesses and groups of witnesses. Our training can be general, consisting of instruction and drills in the psychology and techniques of persuasion. We also work closely with attorneys, giving case-specific training to witnesses in complex or high-stakes matters.

For information about our witness-training, or how we can train your lawyers to prepare their witnesses to provide better testimony, call or write us. We will be glad to explain what we do.

In addition to practicing law, Mr. Garfinkle has written the popular "Hip-Pocket Guide to Testifying in Court", and the new "Lawyer's Hip-Pocket Guide to Appearing in Court". On behalf of state and local bar associations, he lectures to audiences, particularly young audiences, on issues such as the juvenile justice system, sexual harassment, delinquency and gangs. He is annually a judge at Seton Hall University Law School’s John J. Gibbons Criminal Moot Court Competition, and the NJ state finals of the Knights of Pythias annual public speaking contest.