5.4 The Pre-Trial's Checklist (the Professional's Discipline)

The night before the hearing: the file's order (the pleadings, the documents, the authorities — the paginated bundle); the issues' list (one page — the case's face); the witnesses' attendance (the summons' confirmation); the timeline's respect (the arrival before the bench); the client's briefing (the day's procedure explained); the fee's and the mandate's papers (the vakalatnama on file). The craft's summary: the case is won in the preparation — the courtroom only collects the winnings. Exam Focus The viva's bankers: the interview's six stages; the funnel questioning; the no- guarantee rule; the case theory's one sentence; the chief/cross/re-examination discipline. The written examination: the interviewing-technique answer (the stages in order with the ethics); the witness-preparation answer (the three examinations' rules). Trick areas: (i) The client's narrative comes FIRST — the questionnaire-style interruption is the amateur's mark; (ii) No leading in examination-in-CHIEF; leading is the CROSS- examiner's tool — the swap is the classic error; (iii) The re-examination REPAIRS only — the new matter belongs to neither; (iv) The case theory must face the weakness — the theory that ignores the adverse fact collapses at trial; (v) The confidentiality's assurance comes at the OPENING — after the client has confessed is too late. Model Questions (Practice Tasks) Explain the stages and techniques of a client interview, with the ethics at each stage.…