[blindlaw] Strategies for examining and cross-examining witnesses more expeditiously

[Rahul Bajaj]

Hi All,

I'd be very grateful if you could share any techniques that you are
aware of for examining and cross-examining witnesses more
expeditiously. We're grappling with a case where we have not been able
to conduct the cross-examination of a witness for almost a year due to
her lackadaisical approach and refusal to cooperate. We're looking for
any strategies that we could adopt, with the approval of the court,
for cross-examining other witnesses simultaneously to allow the case
to move forward. We've not been able to find any precedents endorsing
the idea of parallel cross-examination anywhere in the world, so we're
trying to figure out other strategies that would help us in breaking
this deadlock. I came across the concept of witness conferencing,
which is very popular in commercial arbitration, and something known
as hot-tubbing in Australia which allows the statements of multiple
witnesses to be recorded simultaneously and thereby ensures the
expeditious resolution of disputes. Are there any other strategies, in
any common law or civil law jurisdictions, for examining and
cross-examining witnesses more expeditiously that I should be looking
at?

Best,
Rahul