Episode
Lessons from Villarreal v. Texas: Defendant Testimony, Witness Preparation, and Cross-Examination
- Published
- Jun 5, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3695
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://rss.com/podcasts/cle-you-actually-want-to-hear/2803992
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/cles-you-actually-want-to-hear-7072333/episodes/lessons-from-villarreal-v-texas-defendant-testimony-witness-preparation-and-cross-examination/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/cles-you-actually-want-to-hear-7072333/lessons-from-villarreal-v-texas-defendant-testimony-witness-preparation-and-cross-examination.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Join Michael G. Freedman (The Freedman Firm), Prof. Vince Farhat (LMU Loyola Law School), and Cassie D. Palmer (Kendall, Brill & Kelly) for a discussion of the strategic and ethical issues that arise when a defendant testifies and faces cross-examination in a criminal trial. This program will begin with a high-level overview of the Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Villarreal v. Texas and its key holdings. It will then turn to practical decisions facing criminal practitioners: whether a defendant should testify, how to prepare a client effectively without crossing the line into coaching, and how to help a client withstand cross-examination by the prosecutor. Although rooted in criminal practice, the discussion will also address witness preparation, attorney-client consultation, and cross-examination principles that broadly resonate across trial practice. Whether you are defending a client, cross-examining a witness, or preparing a witness to face aggressive questioning, this session will offer experience-driven insights into one of the most demanding skills in the courtroom.