In his third of five installments on trial technique in the Illinois Bar Journal’s December issue, Gino DiVito dissects the essential tactics of a successful direct examination. “Except possibly for adverse-witness testimony, direct examination should simulate a friendly conversation,” DiVito writes. “After introductory information based on ‘who’ the witness is and ‘when’ and ‘where’ events occurred, witness questioning shifts to an open-ended question such as ‘what happened?’” One of DiVito’s main takeaways is that proper direct examinations require relevant questions resulting in answers that create reality.