In this episode of Cross Lab, hosts Steve Hohman and Olivia Espinosa are joined by plaintiff’s attorney Federico Lathrop and estate and trust attorney Mike Hackard.

Watch as they cross-examine Steve, who plays an occupational consultant and defense expert witness. They’ll challenge his opinion on the employability of the plaintiff, whose medical assessments reveal severe limitations that impact his ability to work.

Instagram:

@hackard_law

@fedelawyer

What’s covered in this episode:

• How to balance expectations and earn trust with emotionally charged clients
• The double edge sword of multi-fact questions
• Questions that expose biases—no matter what the witness answers
• What successful lawyers you love have in common
• Why the word “AND” is the invitation you want to give to your jury

Time Stamps

00:00 What’s Cross Lab?

11:11 Balancing trust and expectations with clients experiencing trauma and grief

19:42 Mock Case Overview: Grayson vs. NextGen and Samuel Dent

21:55 Federico’s Cross: Exposing biases—no matter what the witness answers

40:14 What looping aka repeating your witness’s words does to an expert

45:09 The power (and danger) of stacking multiple facts into one question

49:28 The common traits successful lawyers have

53:12 Mike Cross: Word selection that paints a picture

1:11:48 The magic of "AND" for your jury

1:13:12 Top takeaways if you had to cross a witness like this

To get free resources for your next trial go to HausImprov.com