A defense attorney has an obligation to rigorously defend their client. The attorney must put fourth his best efforts to protect their clients’ rights. Their methods used should be in line with the law. Their efforts must also be ethical. A good lawyer will be very keen, and have a good attention to detail. They have the incredible role of dissecting witness testimony and bringing out whatever inconsistencies exist in the given statements.
There are a wide variety of tactics that may be employed by the defense to probe a witness’s statement. During the cross examination of the officer or witness, the defense attorney will have the opportunity to hone in on particular parts of the given testimony. The defense can employ leading questions, in order to set traps. They can also raise issues with hearsay, and opinion testimony. The defense can also attack inconsistencies between a police report and their testimony.
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Some other strategies employed in an effort to raise doubts over witness credibility involve raising the issue of any existing biases, be they gender, or racial. The officer’s confidence in his report can also be attacked. The witness’s points of observation can be brought into question. Their ability to actually see an act take place obscured by obstruction, or poor lighting. Also, the officer’s personal history can be brought up in an effort to discredit their overall integrity.
I do not have any issue with a defense lawyer employing any given tactic in an effort to defend their client. I feel that a lawyer should have a wide ranging arsenal of strategies and tactics in their tool bag. The prosecutor should fight just as hard to prove their facts. Truth should be the ultimate by products of the adversarial