An excerpted clip from UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco of the late great Irving Younger delivering some key points of his much referenced 10 Commandments of Cross Examination. A true classic in the history of American legal education, Younger's Ten Commandments of Cross Examination are often cited, debated and over analyzed, but certainly not without their merits in at least familiarizing yourself with them.

1 Be brief.
2 Short questions, plain words.
3 Always ask leading questions.
4 Don't ask a question to which you do not know the answer.
5 Listen to the witness' answers.
6 Don't quarrel with the witness.
7 Don't allow the witness to repeat his direct testimony.
8 Don't permit the witness to explain his answers.
9 Don't ask the "one question too many."
10 Save the ultimate point of your cross for summation.

Mr. Younger passed away in 1988, but his insights into trial strategies continue play an important role in Trail Advocacy training and legal skills development to this day. Said the New York Times in it's obituary of Mr. Younger's video presentations " The videotapes typically show a lawyer who partly resembled a Shakespearean actor and partly a stand-up comic: in a grainy voice, with his arms flailing, and his fingers jabbing the air, Mr. Younger exhorted would-be lawyers about proper courtroom etiquette and effective advocacy, spicing the task with compelling trial tales and humorous anecdotes. "

This Video Is comprised of parts 14 & 15 of a longer Legal Lecture recorded at UC Hastings College Of The Law in San Francisco CA in the late 1970's.



http://www.UCHastings.edu