Testifying In Court: How To Prepare For Your Opening Statement

How do I prepare for my opening statement?

Opening statements are prepared by thinking about the evidence that you're going to be offering. If, again, you're representing yourself. And try to give a summary. You don't want to give all - you don't want to describe everything you're going to be offering because it's like listening to a long lecture. People stop paying attention. You just want to wet their appetite. So practice it. Maybe practice it speaking to your spouse, your kids or a couple of friends. Again, ask them for honest feedback. Did you understand what I said? Did it make you interested in my case? And then do it again. There's some lawyers who say they rehearse 20 times before they do anything in court, and those are experienced lawyers. So if you're going to court for the first time, there's nothing wrong with practicing again and again.