opening argument

English

Noun

opening argument (plural opening arguments)

1. (law) In adversarial legal systems, a statement made by either party at the beginning of a trial or comparable factfinding proceeding, in which that party lays out their case, generally including the points of fact that they intend to demonstrate and to some degree indicating the rhetorical arguments for why they should prevail.

Usage notes

The first argument in a legal trial has traditionally been called an opening argument; however, the more recent trend has been to call this an opening statement, on the theory that parties should avoid making legal arguments before the facts have been established.

Synonyms

• opening statement
• opening speech (U.K.)

Translations

statement

• Finnish: avauspuheenvuoro
• French: première plaidoirie f
• German: Anfangsplädoyer n, erster Parteivortrag m
• Swedish: please add this translation if you can