Subverted in the film Catch Me If You Can - con artist Frank Abagnale Jr.

Similar to The CSI Effect, where juries demand forensic evidence no matter how hard to find or malleable it may be. A sub-trope of Unconventional Courtroom Tactics. Named for the iconic 1957-1966 Law Procedural TV series Perry Mason, in which Perry's client was always innocent, and Perry always won the day by getting the guilty party to confess on the stand during cross-examination. In the United States and the United Kingdom, forcing the defense to prove that someone else is guilty is Shifting the Burden of Proof (in a criminal case), but this is rarely mentioned in media, as it removes the 'solve the mystery' element.Īverting this trope is one reason why in Real Life defence attorneys usually try and avoid calling their client to the stand unless there's absolutely, positively no other choice-the last thing they want is their client getting flustered and goaded into coming out with something potentially incriminating before a jury. When played straight, this one is also a subtrope of Hollywood Law-defense attorneys often discredit witnesses through various means and posit other potential suspects (named or unnamed), but forcing a confession is difficult to do without being disbarred. This is a popular way to avert the Fridge Logic inherent in Conviction by Contradiction in this case, catching the witness in a lie doesn't prove they're the culprit it just convinces them the jig is up so they'll convict themselves by confessing. The first step is often to Pull the Thread. Frequently stems from Accusing the Witness.

When the only possible way for a lawyer to save his client is to badger a confession out of a witness on the stand in the courtroom.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Justice For All, case 4

Beyond the shadow of a doubt matlock