A successful jury trial is a high-stakes, planned sequence of steps where your defence must be prepared for every contingency. We guide you through the process, ensuring no stone is left unturned.

1. Arraignment and Plea

The trial formally begins when the Judge’s Associate reads the indictment (charge) and you enter your plea of Not Guilty in the presence of prospective jurors.

2. Jury Empanelment (Selection)

This is a critical strategic stage. The 12 jurors are selected randomly, but the Defence and the Crown each have a limited number of peremptory challenges to exclude prospective jurors without giving a reason. We carefully exercise these challenges to select a jury that is most likely to be impartial and receptive to your defence.

3. Prosecution’s Opening

The Crown Prosecutor outlines the case, the evidence they will lead, and what they allege you did. We use this to identify the specific weaknesses we will exploit.

4. Cross-Examination of Crown Witnesses

This is the moment where the case is won or lost. Our role is to challenge the credibility, reliability, and consistency of every Prosecution witness. We use precision and experience to expose flaws in their account and create the reasonable doubt required for an acquittal.

5. The Defence Case (The Decision to Testify)

This is one of the biggest decisions in the trial. You have the right to remain silent, and the jury cannot hold this against you. We rigorously assess the risks and benefits of you or other defence witnesses giving evidence, ensuring the decision maximizes your chance of an acquittal.

6. Closing Addresses

The prosecution and the defence provide their final summaries. Our closing address is a meticulously crafted argument that methodically ties together all the weaknesses in the Crown’s case and explains precisely why the jury must return a verdict of Not Guilty.

7. Judge’s Summing Up & Verdict

The Judge directs the jury on the relevant law and summarises the evidence. The jury then retires to deliberate. We monitor this process closely, ensuring the Judge’s directions are correct and advocating for a majority verdict (11 out of 12 jurors) if a unanimous verdict cannot be reached after a reasonable period (under the Jury Act 1977 (NSW)).