Preparing Your Witness to Testify at a Virtual Trial

Taking the witness stand and testifying at a trial can be one of the most stressful experiences in a person’s life. This has been true for as long as there have been trials. Today, though, attorneys are for the first time confronting a new challenge in witness preparation: preparing witnesses to testify over remote video platforms. As set out below, preparing a witness to testify over a remote platform requires that attorneys bring to bear even more of the same skills and resources that are required for effective witness preparation in a live setting. And, fortunately, the limitations of remote platforms may actually help to short-circuit some witnesses’ worst impulses.