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Witness Management: The Edge Cases That Eat Junior Lawyers' Time
Witnesses don't behave like cases. They have travel constraints, work calendars, and sometimes second thoughts. Plan accordingly.
Junior lawyers spend a disproportionate share of their first three years on witness logistics. The senior partner sees 'the witness will be there on the 12th'; the junior knows what it took to make that true.
Common edge cases
- Government employees who can only travel after their supervisor's approval — adds 2-3 days lead time
- Out-of-station witnesses whose train tickets must be confirmed before the chamber commits to a date
- Hostile witnesses whose availability the firm must verify without alerting them too early
- Expert witnesses billed by the day — minimising their court days saves real money
AssociatesDiary tracks each witness with their own availability calendar, travel constraints, and notification preferences. When a hearing date is proposed, the system flags any witness conflicts before the date is confirmed.