Don't fall victim to the "Yes or No" Trap!

Remember when I told you that the answer to every question is CONTROL!

I wasn't just referring to the high conflict individual that you are attempting to co-parent with. This answer also holds true when it comes to attorneys. An attorney's strategy in family court boils down to that very same word - CONTROL!

Let's talk about this in terms of opposing counsel. The opposing counsel's job is to portray you in a negative light and their own client in a positive light. The more that you are talking, the less control the opposing attorney has. So how does the opposing attorney stop you from speaking.

The opposing attorney asks leading questions that call for a "Yes" or "No" answer. The opposing attorney has a lot more control over you if you are just affirming or denying their leading questions than if that opposing attorney asks open ended questions. Open ended questions are a dangerous choice for the opposing attorney because the attorney has little to no control over your response and therefore it's much harder for them to control the narrative of your testimony.

The opposing attorney is going to really want you to answer these leading questions with "Yes" or "No" answers and they are going to use manipulation tactics in order to get you to answer their questions. Here is a very good example of a leading "Yes/No" question.

Here are a few examples of the opposing attorney using manipulation in order to try and get you to answer the "Yes or No" questions being asked.