How to Find a Credible Witness

Are you going to trial and need a witness to prove your case? Are you confused as to what kind of witness you need or who you are allowed to ask? The answer is relatively simple--you are selecting people who can verify the facts of your claim, who have been involved with the issues. Witnesses are not people you discussed it with after the fact, and they aren’t people who are there for moral support. Here are a few suggestions on how to find a credible witness.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Pen and paper
• Names and addresses of people involved in the issues

1. The best witnesses are professionals or experts in a specific field that have first-hand knowledge of the issues involving your claim. Medical issues--get a medical specialist; legal issue--get a lawyer who worked with your matter; car problems--get the mechanic who worked on your car.
2. Always look for people who have first-hand knowledge of the facts, who were personally or professionally involved with your issues; not representatives who were handed a file after the fact.
3. Call witnesses who can confirm various aspects of your claim. E.g., if your claim is about a botched driveway, get all the people to testify who were involved. Start by calling all the person(s) who gave you job appraisals, the person who dug the driveway out, and the person who mixed the cement and/or the person who poured the cement.
4. Choose witnesses who are available to come to court and testify on your day of trial.
5. Do not be redundant in your testimonies by having several witnesses verify the same point. If the issue is crucial, then 2 or 3 witnesses with documentation will prove it. Otherwise, 1 or 2 witnesses at most is satisfactory.

Tips & Warnings

• There are usually no absolute rules as to how many witnesses you can call, but if you have five or six people there to prove one point, the judge may just dismiss all but one witness for you, and that one witness might not be the best choice to prove your case.
• Remember to give your witness list to the other party prior to the date of trial.