Today in class, we watched (or rather started) another segment of a video, Tartar Crusaders. The information in this video was not as helpful to me as it was for out witnesses, as the backgrounds of some of OUR witnesses were thoroughly discussed. The first segment of the video focused on the people who were affected by the Mongols, and it also discussed a few aspects of Mongol daily life, including how they survived and were able to be mobile conquerors. The video then switched gears and began to discuss the impact the Mongols had on other regions of the world, their global influences. They influenced the Crusades launched by Christians to liberate communities taken over by Muslims. However, the Mongols refused to deal with any pleas the Christians or Muslims made - they simply raided and slaughtered for the fun of it...
After watching the movie clip, we were given additional class time to work on the project. This day was especially important for the witnesses and the cross-examiners, as the witnesses of the prosecution and defense were revealed to the class. This will provide out cross-examiners with a specific person (or people) they will be targeting on the defense. However, it also means that the defense knows which witnesses we are going to be using; thus, it is imperative for our witnesses to create a case strong enough that the defense cannot refute our claims to their guilt. It is important to understand that it goes both ways!
At home, I contributed to our team blog and added extra information that was critical in assessing the progress of our project. spent time both planning and writing my opening statement. I created a graphic organizer (not posted for the safety of the prosecution) which highlighted the statements I will be making during the trial in the format of indented bullet points. After highlighting the main points I am going to say, I began to write an actual opening statement to guide me through my practice in reciting it. It is similar to my organizer, but my thoughts are more complete, not incomplete and terse as they are on the organizer. I plan on sending a copy of my opening statement to my aunt, who is a practicing lawyer. She is currently a partner in her law firm, and she has experience in the subject matter I am asking about. If she is able to get back to me with any suggestions, I will incorporate them into my opening statement tomorrow and revise it until I find it 100% able to take down the defense!
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