An anthology of classic cross-examination

22/07/2014

Hugh Selby is an ACT barrister, author of practical legal works and teacher at the University of Wollongong's LLM Criminal Practice program. Hugh wants to compile and publish a collection of good cross-examination.

"Unlike good music and good film, good cross-examination usually has a very small audience (who are divided about whether it was brilliant or an act of bastardy), gets no write ups in the media, and has no reruns", Selby said.

"If we had reruns, think of the possibilities. Tomorrow’s advocates can learn so much from the past, yesterday’s advocates can chuckle, and today’s advocates can strive to copy. Ours is a profession of stories and recollections strange and true. With your help we can gather triumphs of cross, perhaps find an illustrator or two to re-create the moment (an illustrator hidden within a barrister’s clothing would be perfect), add some annotations to help those wanting to copy, and publish the whole lot on the web, free to the world to enjoy", he said.

Hugh invites members of the bar to make a contribution that they will enjoy seeing published. Send him the transcript, or the case citation, or – if all you have is the way it was told to you – send him the story in your own words. And don’t forget to mention whether you wish to be acknowledged or join the ranks of "Anon".

Mail to: Hugh Selby, 28 Claxton Crescent, Lyneham ACT 2602 Email to: hughmselby@gmail.com.