When it comes to federal trials, the stakes are high. The accused face complex legal proceedings that can significantly impact their lives. One critical aspect of this process is representation. Having Federal Attorney Michael J. Petro stand by your side matters—a lot.
Pre-trial Motions to exclude damaging evidence are uppermost in being successful at trial. Federal Attorney Petro has been lead counsel for the accused on 45 Federal Jury Trials. Attorney Petro is an expert in the Federal Rules of Evidence. Attorney Petro is skilled in keeping bad evidence from the jury.
2024 Federal Rules of Evidence
Jury selection takes place at the beginning of every Federal Trial. Selecting the right jurors takes skill and experience. Federal Criminal Defense Attorney Michael J. Petro is an expert on voir dire (a preliminary examination of a juror by judge or counsel) and juror selection in the Federal Courts.
The opening statement is immediately after jury selection and is limited to outlining specific areas of evidence and facts that the jurors should watch out for during the trial. Attorney Petro will use this opportunity to set the basic scene for the jurors, introduce them to the core dispute(s) in the case, and provide a general road map of how the trial is expected to unfold. Attorney Petro will use his skill and experience to persuade the juror that his client is not guilty of the charges in the case.
During the trial, the United States government has the burden of presenting evidence and testimony that will meet their beyond a reasonable doubt burden of proof. The Federal Rules allow Attorney Petro to cross-examine a witness on any matter relevant to any issue in the case, including credibility. Federal Attorney Michael J. Petro will use his 35-plus years of experience as a critical opportunity to cross-examine the weaknesses of a witness’s testimony, like holes in their story due to poor memory, lack of credibility or bias (outside pressure from the prosecutor or co-schemers to testify a certain way).
After the Government presents its case to the jury, Attorney Petro will work to develop his defense case of favorable evidence and testimony to present to the jury to further create doubt in the Government’s theory of prosecution. Attorney Petro is skilled at knowing when his client should or should not testify at their trial.
After the defense case, Federal Attorney Petro will give your closing argument to persuade the jurors to acquit you of the charges by using key testimony and evidence presented at the trial. Attorney Petro will then use his skill and experience to persuade the jury to find his client not guilty.
Finally, every jury trial ends with the Court’s Jury Instructions on the law that the jurors should use to determine the accused’s guilt or innocence. This is the most important part of the trial. Attorney Petro is an expert in Jury Instructions. He will work hard to get the best Jury Instruction to lead to your acquittal.