Why lawyers should never ask a Question if they are not prepared for the Answer

During a trial in a small town in a southern state, a prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand, a grandmotherly, elderly woman. He approached her and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know me?”

She responded, “Why, yes I do know you, Mr. Williams. I’ve known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you’ve been a disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you’re a big shot when you haven’t the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.”

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, “Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?”

She again replied, “Why yes, I do. I’ve known Mr Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He’s lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can’t build a normal relationship with anyone and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women, one of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.”

The defense attorney almost died.

The judge asked both counsellors to approach the bench, and in a very quiet voice, said: “If either of you bastards asks her if she knows me, I can guarantee you spending the rest of your life behind bars for contempt!!”

• Funny Moments in Litigation
• JLP-Law is looking for New Lawyers
• MCLE Compliance for New Lawyers
• Congratulations to the New Lawyers from the Wednesday Team