Patricia
Abraham Lincoln once said: “When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say.”
These sentiments are worth listening to when preparing for a court battle. And, you should think about such reasoning when you are creating exhibits for your court case. Whatever you show will be scrutinized!
So the key is to have exhibits that are accurate, concise, and to the point. In this short guide, we’ll run through some quick tips to get your exhibits right for the big day.
Copy and Organize Your Exhibits
Organization is key from the word go! You need to make a master index of every exhibit you plan to use. Also, add short descriptions for each one and include key info like the source, date, and exhibit type.
Furthermore, to make things flow quicker in court, add an identifying sticker for each exhibit so the court reporter can get their job done swiftly. Plus, make sure you have a least three copies of each exhibit.
Electronic Exhibits and Documents
Nowadays, a lot of evidence may come from electronic sources in a court case. It’s down to you to find out if the court has adopted the practice of showing electronic exhibits. In an ideal situation, you would want to show original evidence electronically.
You also do have the option of printing electronic documents. Yet, the opposition will try their hardest to downplay the evidence saying it could easily be altered. So if you are going to print them, ensure you can persuade of their originality.
Make Use of Initials in Source IDs
We’ll assume you will be using Bates Stamping for tracking exhibits? If so, it’s a tiny bit of extra effort to put the initials of the author who wrote the source on your stamp.
We recommend you put the initials before any identification numbers that appear on each exhibit. And one of the best ways to do this professionally is to find the best exhibit tabs for the job to keep things clear.
Here is an excellent example of a legal supplier that provides professional and elegant tabs: https://legalsupply.com/exhibit-tabs.
Make Cheat Sheets
You may prepare exhibits for trial well in advance, but on the day things might not go as smoothly as you envisioned. A solid way to stay on track with your exhibits if you get a bit lost is to develop cheat sheets.
The idea is you write down all the issues and arguments you want to make in court. Then you write the ID number of any relevant exhibits that support those arguments. Thus, if you get a little lost, just check the sheet and pluck out a new exhibit that fits in with your current thread.
Keep Your Exhibits Straightforward
Our last piece of advice is to keep your exhibits straightforward and clean-cut. No one in court is going to give you awards for creativity; they just want the plain-speaking facts in front of them.
So thanks for checking out our advice; we hope it helps? If so, please check out more tips on our blog.
