The Commandments of Cross Examination

In the world of trial law, one of the most challenging feats for litigators is cross-examination of witnesses, and Irving Younger's legal lecture sets down hard and fast rules that law students — and indeed anyone interested in the art of arguing — must use to interrogate effectively. Younger establishes that his rules are not suggestions but requirements, and he refers to them as the Ten Commandments of Cross-Examination.

Though there are ten of Younger's commandments, he readily admits that the number was conjured as a bit of evocative flair. In reality, there are closer to six or seven rules, but the famous litigator and law professor couldn't resist the urge to round them up to ten by repeating a few of the more salient points with slightly different language in each iteration.