Opening Statements
The purpose of an opening statement is to inform the jury of the nature and facts of the case. An opening statements is like a preview to a movie--you want to give the jury enough information so that they are interested in what will happen next but not so much information that they will not pay attention during the trial. Opening statements should last about three minutes per side.
The Prosecution/Plaintiff attorney introduces himself or herself and states what their side hopes to prove. Begin with "Your Honor, members of the jury," then state what the fact on your side will show and conclude by asking for a verdict in favor of your side (guilty).
The Defense attorney then says, "Your Honor, members of the jury," introduces himself or herself and explains the evidence on his or her side that will deny what the other side is attempting to prove. Again, conclude by asking for a verdict in favor of your side (not guilty).
Things you will want to include in your opening statements are:
Here is an example of the structure you may want to follow when forming your opening statement:
Attorney: "Your Honor, Members of the jury, my name is ___________ and I along with my colleagues are representing ____________________ in this matter. We intend to prove______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. Please find__________________________________________________________________________________________.
The Prosecution/Plaintiff attorney introduces himself or herself and states what their side hopes to prove. Begin with "Your Honor, members of the jury," then state what the fact on your side will show and conclude by asking for a verdict in favor of your side (guilty).
The Defense attorney then says, "Your Honor, members of the jury," introduces himself or herself and explains the evidence on his or her side that will deny what the other side is attempting to prove. Again, conclude by asking for a verdict in favor of your side (not guilty).
Things you will want to include in your opening statements are:
- Your name.
- Your client's name.
- The facts and circumstances that led to bringing the case against the defendant. If you are the defense, include why your client did not break the law.
- A conclusion.
Here is an example of the structure you may want to follow when forming your opening statement:
Attorney: "Your Honor, Members of the jury, my name is ___________ and I along with my colleagues are representing ____________________ in this matter. We intend to prove______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________. Please find__________________________________________________________________________________________.