“Not recognized unless it’s the original.”

“Procedural violations will not be accepted.”

“Agree with the defense counsel’s opinion”

……

Does the formalized questioning language used in court really enable judges to clearly see the defense’s line of reasoning? Attorney Wu Nan hit the nail on the head: “The right to cross-examination is a core right of the defense, but the limitations of verbal expression make it difficult for ‘effective challenges’ to be truly perceived.”

According to data from the “Two Supreme Courts” over the past five years, the number of criminal cases has remained persistently high, and the pressure on procuratorial organs to handle these cases has surged accordingly. In a courtroom flooded with information, how can lawyers ensure that their defense arguments stand out?

Attorney Wu Nan proposed the three key pillars of the cross-examination revolution:

1. Data-driven—Using big data to anchor defense strategies

· Case-type retrieval report: For example, statistics on the amount thresholds for fraud offenses and the national rate of bail approvals provide a solid basis for predicting sentencing outcomes.

· Evidence Pros and Cons Analysis Table: Construct a favorable chain of evidence through fact-based screening, thereby breaking the prosecution’s monopoly on evidence.

2. Listization—Transforming abstract rules into operational guidelines

· Evidence Review Checklist: Develop differentiated cross-examination strategies tailored to physical evidence and testimonial evidence.

· Evidence-admission opinion template: Embed the “three characteristics and two strengths” review into a visual framework.

3. Visualization—Making complex information instantly clear at a glance

· Timeline Reconstruction: Reconstructing the key nodes of the case;

· Legal Relationship Diagram: Deconstructing the Interconnected Network Involving Multiple Parties;

· Data comparison chart: For instance, changes in the regulation of private lending interest rates visually illustrate differences in legal application.

At the lecture, lawyer Wu Nan demonstrated how AI is reshaping case-handling processes:

“In the future, 70% of a lawyer’s time will be devoted to creativity and decision-making, while AI will take over repetitive tasks such as data collection.”

Attorney Wu Nan demonstrates the value of technology through his firsthand experience with cases:

Using Napkin, the evidentiary objections in the bribery case are transformed into a mind map, enabling the judge to grasp the core of the defense in just three minutes.

The reflection he left for all the lawyers:

“Gaining inspiration from listening to lectures, acquiring methods through consultations—only those practitioners who step beyond their comfort zones and put tools into practice can truly make their advocacy ‘visible.’” In the tide of the technological revolution, only those who dare to transcend their comfort zones and actively engage in hands-on practice can ensure that their advocacy is genuinely “seen.”

At the end of the event, Hou Desheng, Vice President of the Liaoning Provincial Lawyers Association and President of the Panjin City Lawyers Association In his keynote speech, Chairman Hou stated that today, through Attorney Wu Nan’s presentation, we could clearly sense that the field of criminal defense is quietly undergoing a technological revolution. The power of technology can penetrate many complex and intractable issues, making everything much clearer. This sharing session has truly provided us with profound inspiration and great benefits. Chairman Hou emphasized that technology is actually an accelerator of justice—not a substitute—and this point is extremely important.

Chairman Hou put forward two suggestions: First, we must employ the meticulous craftsmanship of legal professionals to carefully craft and rigorously control the evidence involved in technology. No matter how perfect or powerful the technology may be, a truly effective defense will always hinge on painstaking analysis and repeated scrutiny of the case materials. Second, as lawyers, we not only need to excel in technical expertise but also uphold the principle of “benefiting others without causing harm and acting with integrity rather than striving for personal gain.” We must stay true to the greater good and remain steadfast over the long term. Only when technology is perfectly aligned with our ethical guidelines can we reach the pinnacle of excellence on the path of criminal defense.
 

Technology doesn’t replace expertise—it serves as the expert’s microscope and megaphone. — This revolution about “seeing” has only just begun.