Organizing Your Testimony Before You Go to Court

Testimony is evidence given by a competent witness under oath. A witness is competent if he or she can communicate effectively on the stand and understands the duty to tell the truth. A witness may

be called to give testimony only on evidence about which he or she has personal knowledge. Testimony is typically delivered orally by a witness at trial or in writing in the form of an affidavit or a deposition.

To organize your testimony you should first make a list of all evidence you will present for your case. Once you list the evidence, you then make a list of the witnesses who will testify as to each item of evidence. Organizing your testimony before you go to court involves deciding which witnesses you will use to introduce the evidence for your case and the preparing of those witnesses to give their testimony.

Witnesses will be used to present testimony about the evidence in your case. Thus, organizing your testimony really becomes a process of deciding which witnesses to choose to best present your evidence. Testimony will typically be given as to all facts of your case. Testimony will be used to introduce demonstrative evidence and to describe key events and facts. Since testimony is one of the keys to your case, it is critical to select and choose the best witnesses to provide the testimony.