Plant explosions, wrongful death cases, truck accidents; they all are very serious situations that will likely require the right kind of lawyer to back you, especially if you end up in court. The problem with serious cases is that the other party will fight harder than they would in a milder case. This means that as the prosecution, you will need to be on your best game, the entire time. The second you let your guard down, that’s when they’ll attack and it’ll be over before you had a chance. Here are some things that you should consider.
Statistics
Say you got in a truck accident, being informed of truck accident statistics can be helpful to your case. It is important to understand the role that statistical significance, in this example, truck accident statistics, play in the law. A court will deem a statistical association at relevant. Being able to compare your accident with other truck accident statistics could also put you in a better light with the jury if they see you as another number. Something about realizing that other people have gone through the same thing and the world still goes on may help the jury to see you as a victim of the statistics.
Personality
Believe or not, how you act could actually be the determining factor of the outcome of your case. Having good people skills and being polite and respectful can go along with with a judge and jury. Be courteous to everyone including the opposing counsel, the court reporter and security officer. You lawyer also needs to offer the same courtesy to all of these including their witnesses and opposing witnesses. The judge and jury are watching every move that is made, not just listening to the words that are spoken. Your body language, facial expressions and general demeanor will all be included in the final verdict.
Honesty
If your case has gone to trial then it means that the opposing party has found flaws in your case. Find them and discuss them before they get the chance to. Be honest about the bad facts of your case, discuss them and deal with them and then move on without focusing to long on them. The first impression is incredibly important and if the first time the jury hears about a mistake is from the opposing party, it will seem like a much bigger deal than if you just admitted to it early on.
Commonality
Find things that you have in common with the jury. If one of your truck accident statistics has to do with women wearing their hair down, make sure your lawyer focuses particular attention on the women in the jury with longer hair or that do not have it tied back. This will put those people in your shoes and make them wonder if they would have done anything different if it had been them. It makes the case personal which is in your favor.
Practice
It’s true what they say, practice makes perfect. Before you go before a judge, you and your lawyer should have several practice sessions. You could even go to the court room to give yourself a better idea of what to do and how to conduct yourself. If this is your first offense it might actually be a better idea not to go to the courtroom and let the first time you see it be at the event of the trial. This will make it obvious that you have not had to attend court before and you are not a criminal. You should, however, still practice the line of questioning and potential questioning from the opposing party with your lawyer.
It’s amazing how all of these little things will help your case, when it really comes down to the wire. Even if you have what you deem to be a flawless case, it can go totally wrong if you give off the wrong impression or say something that the opposing party can twist into something that you didn’t mean. Make sure you and your lawyer are on the same page at all times and that nothing surprises you during trial. This things do not look good to a jury who is watching your every move.