Cross Examination Pro – Tip:  when cornering a witness, never let witness off the hook. What does that mean? Listen and find out.

I took an interview between a 60 Minutes reporter and Arizona GOP Candidate for Governor Kari Lake and broke it down to assist in making the point.   I’m a trial lawyer, appear regularly on television and in the news.  I defend people in court and also discuss popular trials and cases.  My nickname is “The Rockweiler” and I’m a trial lawyer and I’m known for my cross examination style.

This podcast is under fair use. It may contain copyrighted materials whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We use a portion of a 60 Minutes video of an interview that is newsworthy that involves a 60 Minutes journalist and Kari Lake, the GOP AZ Candidate for Governor.  It is in the public domain and involves an interviewing style and is newsworthy.  This, in our view, is fair use pursuant to section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Fair use allows limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holders, such as for commentary, criticism, news reporting, research, teaching or scholarship. We retain no rights to this material.

Steve Fishman, my guest on this episode of the Killer Cross Examination Podcast, said, “it is no surprise that a country founded on racism and slavery has police officers who are still prejudiced and racist.”  Fishman, from Detroit, and I break down the tragedies that we’ve seen in recent history, Breonna Taylor, Daunte Wright, George Floyd, Andre Hill and more … we review video of the NJ Mall incident together and Steve shares his thoughts on the newly nominated Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court and why that is so important.

We even talk about Tucker Carlson, Bill Barr, Roselawn, Mumford and Central High Schools.

My blood is boiling. I’ve commented on cases on television and radio and I’ve cross examined the best of witnesses — officers, witnesses, experts and others with vigor, vim and eye toward destroying their credibility and when I saw the NJ Mall incident where the police detain a black youth and “comfort” a white teen, drove me to commentary. I’ve offered to represent the black youth and I welcome the police to come on my podcast to be cross examined and questioned by me. The only explanation for the police behavior appeared to be prejudice and race. Here is my take — tell me otherwise.

Why? Of all of the careers some of you could choose or some of you chose, why did you become a judge? Why choose this one? On behalf of everyone … I need to ask this question and on this episode of the Killer Cross Examination Podcast, I do. They don’t call me The Rockweiler for nothing and on this episode, I turn my sarcasm, criticism and humor towards those that assumed the bench for all the wrong reasons. Take a listen and let me know what you think …

Dan Webb talks about cross examining a former President (Ronald Reagan), prosecuting Jussie Smollett, key cross-examination strategies, and of course, his love for Chicago. Only on Killer Cross Examination.

If the Lord picked a lawyer to defend a case, there is a pretty good chance that Dan Webb is on the short list of lawyers who’d get the call. His credentials are impeccable. It has been said about Webb that he is one of the “11 lawyers you definitely don’t want to see across the aisle, the #1 litigator in the US, a “stunningly good trial lawyer” and “one of the most formidable courtroom lawyers in America today.” What’s more, he’s brutally honest about what trials are about – winning. Not moral victories, not keeping juries out, not defending the rights of the accused … winning. And, Dan Webb knows how to win. It is no wonder that his client list reads like a Who’s Who — Kwame Kilpatrick, Bill Gates, former Governor of Ililnois George Ryan, former Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., former Congressman Dan Rostenkowski and William Kennedy Smith to name a few. He represents a Russian Oligarch and if you think he’s above prosecuting someone, he’s not. He was a United States Attorney and he recently prosecuted Jussie Smollett, the actor who was convicted of disorderly person and false report of a mugging and did so, according to him, to restore the integrity of the Chicago justice system. Webb is a cross examination master.

School shootings. The fact that we are even discussing it is a disgusting sign of the times. Oxford High School is just the latest school to be the site of a massacre. Ethan Crumbley is charged with murder for his role in the Oxford High School Massacre.  Ethan’s parents are charged with manslaughter. But what about the schools, school officials, districts, etc? Schools are less safe than an airport for crying out loud and we’ve had enough. What policies and laws are preventing us from holding schools, districts and administrations from being held accountable? Civil rights lawyer Vince Colella who has handled cases alongside lawyers such as Brian Claypool, Ben Crump and full disclosure, yours truly, breaks it down.

This is an episode not be missed.

Robert Durst is dead. I’ve spent a lot of time discussing Robert Durst, his life, his trials and his convictions. He died while his conviction for killing Susan Berman is in appeal.

What it means….

“You can’t handle the truth”, the famous response elicited from fictional Lt Colonel Nathan Jessup on cross examination by the character played by Tom Cruise to this day remains the quintessential “gotcha” moment in a trial. A cross examination so good that it broke the witness, cracked the case and freed the accused. Popular shows, documentaries, movies and docudramas all focus on this type of cross examination moment – moments created by the dynamic exchange between lawyers and witnesses.

In 2021, my podcast the Killer Cross Examination Podcast, featured some of the best, most well known and iconic lawyers in the country.  The lawyers who joined me included lawyers who defended OJ Simpson, Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby, George Zimmerman, Phil Spector, Steve Avery, Charlie Sheen, John Gotti, Jr., William Kennedy Smith, Chris Webber, Casey Anthony and Michael Peterson to name a few.  From A-Z, Anne Bremner to Jack Zimmermann, I interviewed my peers, the lawyers who the writers try to copy and emulate when they write the scripts for the Netflix shows. Unscripted, uncensored and more.  As we say hello to 2022, I also bid farewell to F. Lee Bailey, who pointing a finger at me said, “I know a great trial lawyer when I see one.”

Here are some excerpts from 2021 from the Killer Cross Examination Podcast featuring yours truly, F Lee Bailey, and other iconic lawyers, e.g., Tom Mesereau, Alan Dershowitz, Mark Geragos, Linda Kenney Baden, and more.

Subscribe to the Killer Cross Examination Podcast on Apple, Anchor, Google Podcasts, Goodpods, Amazon Music, YouTube, Spotify and Audible to name a few.

Happy New Year

If you’re a trial junkie or a true crime buff, then you know that cross examination is the most dynamic part of a trial. Cases are won and lost on cross examination. It is real life drama. Neil Rockind, “The Rockweiler”, a veteran trial lawyer and tv legal expert offers his entertaining take on trials and talks with the most iconic lawyers about their war stories, cases and careers. This is real life. This is killer cross examination.

If you’re a trial junkie or a true crime buff, then you know that cross examination is the most dynamic part of a trial. Cases are won and lost on cross examination. It is real life drama. Neil Rockind, “The Rockweiler”, a veteran trial lawyer and tv legal expert offers his entertaining take on trials and talks with the most iconic lawyers about their war stories, cases and careers. This is real life. This is killer cross examination.