Witness Review

The Witness Review Challenge

Preparing to examine or cross-examine a witness requires intimate knowledge of their prior statements. Missing a key admission or contradiction can undermine your entire examination strategy.

How PDF.LEGAL Transforms Witness Review

PDF.LEGAL gives you instant access to everything a witness has ever said. Search by topic, find prior statements, and prepare examination outlines with supporting citations ready at your fingertips.

Case Study

Case Study: State v. Richards

Public Defender's Office

The Situation

A criminal defense attorney had 72 hours to prepare cross-examination of a key prosecution witness who had given statements to police, testified at preliminary hearing, and been deposed in a related civil matter.

The Solution

All witness statements were uploaded to PDF.LEGAL. The attorney queried specific topics like "what time did you arrive" and "describe what you saw" to compare all prior statements and identify inconsistencies.

The Results

Identified 9 material inconsistencies across witness statements
Prepared cross-examination outline in 6 hours instead of 20+
Successfully impeached witness on 4 key points during trial
Jury returned not guilty verdict on primary charges

Key Features for Witness Review

Statement Comparison

Compare all prior statements from a single witness

Topic Search

Find everything a witness said about specific topics

Impeachment Prep

Quickly identify contradictions for cross-examination

Real-Time Access

Search during trial for immediate citation support