What Kinds of Evidence Can You Present in Trial?

A trial lawyer at Brown & Charbonneau, LLP can provide you with comprehensive help preparing for a civil trial. Whether you are sued or you are being sued, you need to understand the kinds of evidence you are allowed to present and you need to be prepared to make your case to convince the court to side with you. 

Preparing for a civil trial can be complicated because you need to understand the rules of evidence, find the right types of evidence to present, and understand what it would take to prevail in court. Our experienced legal team has helped many clients in the Irvine area to successfully win civil cases and we can put our knowledge of trial preparation to work to help ensure you are prepared and ready to make the strongest case possible when your case goes to court. You should give us a call as soon as possible so we can begin gathering the necessary evidence and getting ready to present your case.

Types of Evidence You Can Present in Trial

When your case goes to trial, you can present evidence that is designed to prove the elements of your case. You can also present evidence designed to raise doubt about the credibility of witnesses presented by the opposing party or to raise doubts about the other documents and materials the opposing party is using to make his case. You can present evidence to impeach the witness if you catch a witness in a lie, or you can present evidence that justifies the actions that you took.

The specific kinds of evidence that will be admissible are going to vary depending upon the nature of your case. You typically won’t be allowed to introduce any type of information that is not directly relevant to the case that is before the court, especially if that information is unnecessarily prejudicial and could poison the minds of the jury against the opposing party who you are suing or who you are being sued by.

Typically, evidence that ends up being presented in a civil court case includes:

• Eyewitness testimony: This is testimony provided by people with firsthand knowledge of events that took place. For example, if you are suing a supplier for delivering the wrong materials, you could present testimony from the person at your company who received the incorrect items and saw that they were wrong.
• Expert testimony: This is testimony provided by people with recognized expertise whose expertise is relevant to the specific circumstances or facts of your case. The opposing party is likely to have their own experts who may present contradictory testimony to the information your experts provide. You can also try to make the jury doubt the credibility of experts that the opposing side presents.
• Original documents: You can present writings, photographs, emails, recordings and other documents that demonstrate your case or that call the opposing party’s case into question. Whenever possible you should try to present original documents. These documents could include emails, internal memos, and a host of other information. Many of the documents can be obtained during the discovery process where information is exchanged between opposing parties who are involved in a civil lawsuit.

While you can generally present these types of evidence, it is important to be aware that there are some restrictions. For example, you can present eyewitness testimony, but hearsay isn’t allowed. Since the rules of evidence are confusing, it is helpful to be represented by an Irvine trial lawyer.

Getting Help from an Irvine Trial Lawyer

An Irvine trial lawyer at Brown & Charbonneau, LLP will help you to gather evidence and make a compelling case to maximize your chances of prevailing in civil court. To find out more about how our legal team can help you if you are a plaintiff in a civil case or if you are being sued, give us a call at (866)237-8129 or contact us online today.