OPENING STATEMENTS

The importance of opening statements lies in the fact that they offer the first opportunity for dialogue with the court. In theory the juror knows nothing about the case at hand, thus the opening statement serves as an introduction of the lawyer as well as the facts.

This first impression is crucial in that jurors often make snap judgments about an attorney, and their integrity and credibility, based on this first interaction. The effects of these assessments can have long-lasting implications throughout the trial.

During opening statements there are no witnesses called and no evidence is presented. The goal is to pave the road to the verdict you seek by laying out a concise road map of what you are going to prove.

An experienced Seattle DUI Attorney will normally use part of his or her opening statement to touch on what the prosecution will not be able to prove. Although objections are technically allowed, they are are; the attorneys are provided with a lot of leeway when presenting their case.

The defense is not required to make its opening statement directly after the prosecution, as the defense may decide to wait until the prosecution has completed their portion of the trial. However, allowing the prosecution go unopposed for a long period of time is quite risky.

Each individual case is a story, with a plot, places, and real life characters. The goal when addressing the jury is to create a compelling picture of your side of this story and to convince them that the picture you are painting is the most accurate depiction of the way the events happened.

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