copying/quoting/Wikipedia/cross-examination ... & a whole new topic, drawers

[dumbledore11214]

Alla wrote in
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPFGU-OTChatter/message/36225>:

<< But no amount of forceful cross-examination will make witness say
something that witness did not DO. >>

Catlady:
Unfortunately, that's not always true. <SNIP>I know you only meant 
cross-examination of adults, but many adults can
be intimidated as easily as children into agreeing with anything said
by a scary person in a suit. I believe this is especially true of
people with some kinds of mental retardation or mental illness. But,
you know, extreme timidity is not generally viewed as a mental 
illness.

<SNIP>

Alla:

If you believe that, you believe that there is nothing I can say to 
convince you otherwise.

And yes of course I mean cross-examination of the adults. Judges will 
often talk to kids one on one in family law cases for example.

But I do want to say one thing - lawyer who is arguing something 
without genuinely believing it and attacking witness on the stand 
just for the sake of harrassing a witness and hoping that maybe 
witness will say something that will help the case is not an ethical 
lawyer. The thing is I see zero proof that JKR's lawyers acted 
unethically in any way shape or form.