Do you trust your witness?

A trustworthy witness is a great asset in any case. But not all witnesses arfe reliable. Failing to confirm a witness’s credibility can run the strongest case.

Take the friendly witness. These witnesses sometimes try too hard to support your case. When a biased friendly witnesses lies, your entire case appears weak. Similarly, false statements from a prejudiced or hostile witness have the same result.

Reviewing the qualifications of expert witnesses is equally important. Only take testimony from people at the head of their fields. And don’t overlook eyewitnesses. Check that eyewitnesses not only saw events firsthand, but also that they saw them clearly.

(Virginia Evans, Jenny Dooley, David J.Smith “Law”)

I. Mark the following statements as true (T) or false (F):

1. Friendly and hostile witnesses can have similar negative impacts on cases.

2. Anyone with relevant qualifications can be a useful expert witness.

3. The author recommends that lawyers confirm eyewitnesses’ view of events.

II. Match the words (1-5) with the definitions (A-E):

1. Expert witness 4. Friendly witness

2. Eyewitness 5. biased

3. Hostile witness

A a person who saw what happened

B a professional who gives an opinion in a case

C having a preference for someone or something

D a person who doesn’t support a client’s case

E a person who favors the client’s case

III. Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the word bank.

Statement qualifications credibility firsthand prejudiced

1. Martin is not a reliable witness because he didn’t see what happened ________.

2. Gordon is a suitable expert witness because he is well respected and has university ________.

3. Antonia has strong opinions, so the jury may find her too __________.

4. Lawrence doesn’t know the client very well, so his comments don’t have much __________.

5. The paralegal typed up a __________ for the witness to sign.

IV. Listen to a conversation between an attorney and a paralegal. Choose the correct answers.

1. Why does the lawyer bring in the detective?

A She was an eyewitness.

B She could be an expert witness.

C She investigated his client’s crime.

D She recorded eyewitness statements.

2. What is the detective’s opinion of eyewitness statements?

A They can help a case.

B They are often confusing.

C They aren’t always reliable.

D They are the best type of evidence.

V. Listen again and complete the conversation.

Lawyer: Thanks for coming in, Detective. I’ll get to the point. I need an 1 ________ _________.

Detective: I’d be 2 ________ to help.

Lawyer: Great. And just to confirm your 3 _________, how long have you been a police officer?

Detective: I’ve been on the force for fifteen years.

Lawyer: That’s good. Now, 4 _______ ________ say that m client was at the scene of a crime.

Detective: But he wasn’t there?

Lawyer: No. He just looks like the suspect.

Detective: Well, eyewitness 5 __________ aren’t always 6 _________.

VI. With a partner, act out the roles below based on the previous task. Then, switch the roles.

Use language such as: Thanks for coming in. How long have you been a …. Well, eyewitness accounts aren’t ….
Student A: You are an attorney. You need a detective to help your case. Talk to Student B about: Being a witness qualifications opinion of eyewitness statements	Student B: You are a detective. Answer Student A’s questions.

Give a sight translation of the text.