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Course Details

Course Information
  • smart_display Format

    On-Demand

  • signal_cellular_alt Difficulty Level

    Intermediate

  • work Practice Area

    Personal Injury and Med Mal

Date & Time
  • event Date

    Tuesday, May 6, 2025

  • schedule Time

    1:00 p.m. ET./10:00 a.m. PT

  • timer Program Length

    90 minutes

Credit Information

  • This 90-minute webinar is eligible in most states for 1.5 CLE credits.

$197.00
CLE
ALL

This CLE course will discuss strategies for handling difficult witnesses during personal injury litigation. While difficult witnesses will typically belong to the adverse party, they can sometimes be your own. Because of this, it is critical that attorneys know how to handle difficult witnesses in order to present a successful case.

Faculty

Guy O. Kornblum
Principal
Guy O. Kornblum, APLC

Mr. Kornblum has specialized as a trial and appellate lawyer for 45 years. He has handled over 3,500 litigated matters to conclusion and has several million dollar plus cases to his credit. Mr. Kornblum’s practice focuses on representing plaintiffs, claimants, policyholders and victims of tortious and contractual wrongs in insurance bad faith, among other claims.

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Bradley A. Levin
Shareholder
Levin Sitcoff Waneka, PC

Mr. Levin focuses his practice on tort and commercial litigation, especially insurance bad faith and insurance coverage disputes, representing corporate and individual policyholders alike. He argued the leading Colorado case concerning pre-judgment assignment agreements to the state supreme court. Mr. Levin lectures frequently on insurance law topics.

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Description

The career of a trial attorney will undoubtedly include examining uncooperative witnesses. Difficult witnesses can occur in many forms: lying witnesses, witnesses who cannot remember, witnesses who are hostile or refuse to be led, evasive witnesses, witnesses who refuse to answer the question posed--there is an infinite number of ways a witness can be difficult, with or without trying to do so.

Cross-examinations can often be complicated because attorneys are essentially trying to prove or disprove specific facts or elements through a witness who is factually, legally, or morally opposed to their client. Luckily, there are general strategies that will help gain ground against a wide variety of difficult witnesses.

Similarly, direct examinations of your witnesses who become frustrated or argumentative--or merely become flustered and forget essential facts--can be equally as tricky. A prepared attorney must gently steer their witness back to solid ground while keeping their witness' credibility intact before the jury.

Listen as our distinguished panel discusses how to master the art of examining a difficult witness. If done properly, it will be an invaluable skill that will immensely benefit any attorney during their career.

Outline

  1. Overview of common types of "difficult witnesses" in personal injury cases and how to spot them
  2. How to handle cross examination of difficult adverse witnesses
  3. How to handle direct examination of your own witness if they become difficult
  4. Tactics for impeaching and/or rehabilitating a witness on the stand without harming image in front of jurors

Benefits

The panel will review these and other relevant topics:

  • What are some of the common types of difficult witnesses that attorneys will encounter in personal injury cases?
  • How should attorneys approach cross-examination of a particularly difficult witness?
  • How can attorneys approach direct examinations of their witnesses if they become angry or forgetful on the stand?