Find contradictions Family law Mixed / full case recordDeposition transcript
Prior Statement Cross-Examination Builder for family law
Financial transparency and best-interests factors, in matters where the parties usually remain in each other's lives.
Through this lens, the Prior Statement Cross-Examination Builder works the record the way this practice does — the prompt below adds: "Focus on divergence between sworn financial disclosures and the documentary record, and between claimed parenting involvement and what the communications record actually shows."
Example output (sample case details, Family law lens)
CONTEXT: You are a litigation support analyst assisting criminal defense counsel in a aggravated battery matter. The attached materials are: (1) the certified deposition transcript of Dana Ruiz, the State's eyewitness, and (2) the witness's prior statements: police interview transcript (1/14/25); sworn statement to investigator (2/20/25). The issues that matter are: lighting conditions; distance from the altercation; identification of the defendant. This work product supports a family law matter, where financial transparency and the statutory best-interests and equitable-distribution factors govern, and where the parties will often remain in each other's lives after judgment. INSTRUCTIONS: Compare the deposition testimony against each prior statement, fact by fact. Identify every place the accounts diverge and classify each divergence as exactly one of: - DIRECT CONTRADICTION — the statements cannot both be true. - MATERIAL OMISSION — a fact asserted in one account is absent from the other where it would naturally appear. - SHIFTED DETAIL — timing, sequence, distance, speed, or identity changed between accounts. Then, for each DIRECT CONTRADICTION and SHIFTED DETAIL, draft a two-step cross-examination sequence: first a lock-in question committing the witness to the deposition testimony, then a confrontation question presenting the prior statement, each with its cite. In this engagement, additionally: Focus on divergence between sworn financial disclosures and the documentary record, and between claimed parenting involvement and what the communications record actually shows. TEMPLATE — format your output exactly as follows: ## Divergence map | # | Topic | Deposition account (verbatim + cite) | Prior statement account (verbatim + source + cite) | Classification | |---|---|---|---|---| ## Cross-examination sequences For each qualifying divergence: **Divergence #__ — [topic]** - Lock-in: "[question]" (commits witness to: [depo cite]) - Confront: "[question]" (prior statement: [source + cite]) ## Consistencies that hurt us Briefly list facts the witness has stated consistently across all accounts, with cites — these are the points cross should avoid. EVIDENCE REQUIREMENTS: For every finding, identify the source document by name and cite page:line for transcripts, timestamps for audio/video, and Bates/page for documents. Every divergence requires two citations — one per source — and verbatim language from both. If a prior statement referenced in the materials list was not actually provided, say so explicitly rather than working from assumptions. Do not classify a divergence as a DIRECT CONTRADICTION unless the verbatim language supports it; when in doubt, classify down to SHIFTED DETAIL and flag it under "Borderline — attorney review."
AI output is a starting point, not work product. Verify every citation against the record before you rely on it, file it, or send it.
What you'll fill in
- Your role
- Case type e.g., "trucking liability," "first-party property," "medical malpractice"
- Witness / deponent name e.g., "Dr. Alan Smith"
- Their role in the case e.g., "plaintiff's accident reconstructionist"
- Key issue(s) — 1 to 3 e.g., "vehicle speed at impact; brake maintenance; visibility"
- Prior statements / materials in play (optional) e.g., "recorded statement to adjuster (6/2/24); affidavit (9/1/24)"
Practicing something else? See the general version or the full Family law workflow set.