Client & Witness Testimony Prep
No single witness can WIN a case...
BUT a single witness sure can lose one!
Your heart is pounding, you're holding your breath... and you're just the lawyer watching the testimony. Because all you can do now is pray the cram session stuck. That's a terrible position to be in, and it is completely avoidable.
The Old Way
Most of us were brought up to meet with our clients for an hour or so on the day-of or day before their deposition. You know the deal - tell them all the things they cannot say, give them canned phrases to memorize and repeat, and cross your fingers.
The Result: Your client becomes even more nervous than they were when they arrived. They remember a couple of the rules for the first half-hour or so, but as soon as they get pushed, it all goes out the window. And you spend the rest of the case on the defense, trying to explain what they really meant to say.
The R.I.S.E. Method™️
The R.I.S.E. Method™️ focuses on arming witnesses with their own word bank and rules that are so rooted in their story, they don't have any trouble recalling and presenting under stress.
The Method has four parts:
- Reassure
- Identify
- Simplify
- Empower
ProvenFocus applies the R.I.S.E. Method™️ over a series of sessions which - depending on the witness - can range from one to two hours each and occur over two to three weeks. It includes homework and sample depositions to review in a tailored packet made just for them and their case. By the end of the process, the witness has become clear and rooted in their truth, has shed any fears of testifying - or learned how to embrace those fears - and has learned simple rules that empower them to feel confident in their role in the case.
Experts & Lay Witnesses, Too!
ProvenFocus applies the R.I.S.E. Method across multiple disciplines and witness types, including experts and lay witnesses. You can learn more about those applications through Jennifer's Trial Guides presentations:
Why ProvenFocus?
Who has time to do thorough witness prep while running a firm or a heavy docket? You have to focus on liability, the medicine, the science, the strategy, the offense, and the defense.
The thing is, we MUST take the time. Proper witness preparation is vital to a case's survival and value.
That's why bringing in an extra set of eyes - an extra brain to see the facts from a 30,000 foot view - is the way to go. More importantly, bring in someone who has the time and experience to put in the work necessary to get your witness ready.