( CNN ) -- South African newspaper columnist Jani Allan accused Oscar Pistorius of taking `` acting lessons '' before his testimony at his murder trial . Pistorius has claimed that he accidentally killed his girlfriend , Reeva Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder to his home in Pretoria . I have to admit , as a criminal defense attorney , I found his testimony unusually well-focused and on-point as he attempted to accomplish what he needed to . It was this : to convince the judge ( there is no jury in this case ) that he was acting out of instinct and fear -- rather than anger and hatred -- when he fired four fatal shots through a locked bathroom door . Is it not Pistorius ' right to figure out how to best present that position to the judge ? Is it somehow wrong for a defendant to craft or polish his presentation to positively affect the judge 's ( or jury 's ) decision ? Yes , it is his right , and no it 's not wrong ; welcome to the underbelly of litigation . However , it 's the same underbelly that exists in business and even in social interactions . We all learn even as children to speak properly , to `` mind our manners '' and to `` put our best foot forward . '' Suggesting that people do n't prepare for or rehearse important interactions is not just folly ; it goes against what we 've been taught since we 've learned to listen . On that first date , we try to look as good as we can , be as funny as we can , appear as insightful as we can . Before a job interview we study the employer and the industry . Before asking for a raise , we present our value in the warmest light possible . Good lawyers have spent their careers learning how to present their clients in the most favorable light possible during litigation . It 's our responsibility . Criminal defense lawyers learn how to be persuasive and genuine when presenting their side of the story . We are trained to represent clients , any clients , as best we can and to seek the proper result for that client . Prosecutors know how to polish their presentations as well . In civil law , when many millions of dollars are on the line , corporate representatives plan for hours , days , weeks , months -- even years -- to properly present their side of the case . They take part in mock trial , the sole purpose of which is to identify and correct weaknesses in their presentation , to gain insight from how that presentation worked with mock jurors . Back to the question at hand : Did Pistorius have acting lessons ? This will now sound insincere , but I have never , not in 30 years of practice , had a client take `` acting lessons '' or any other lessons regarding how to testify . But I have spent hours with witnesses and clients reviewing with them how to present themselves and their story in the most compelling and believable way . But remember this : Law enforcement officers also go through extensive training in how to present themselves in a courtroom , from subtleties as simple as turning toward the jury when answering a question to presenting their testimony in simple , easy-to-understand phrases , to raising and lowering their voices at just the right time . Expert witnesses are paid well for their ability to communicate their testimony effectively and believably to a jury . So is it any less appropriate for Pistorius to have reviewed his testimony with his lawyers ? Would it be wrong if Pistorius had the benefit of a `` testimony presentation expert '' ? The answer is no , it is not inappropriate , as long as Pistorius was telling the truth . The important question is : Did he present his testimony in a way in which the judge believed he was sincere ? Or will the judge believe he was coached and acting ? Judges and jurors alike are not easily fooled , and they bring to the courtroom life experiences that prepare them to detect deception and insincerity . It is also the duty of the advocates on both sides of the story to advise or remind the fact finders that testimony is what it is : prepared , coached , rehearsed and presented as well as possible . My belief is that Pistorius was absolutely coached . I also believe the judge thinks so , too , and when she weighs Pistorius ' testimony , she will take into consideration that it was perhaps too well polished and that it was too well rehearsed . That was , after all , a significant goal of the blistering cross examination , to show that coaching . I say we trust in fact finders -- in this case the judge , and , in the United States , the jurors -- and understand that they know how to balance the content of a testimony with the sincerity , or lack of sincerity , with which it was delivered .
Mark O'Mara : Writer charged that he ' had ` ` acting lessons '' for court . O'Mara : True , he seemed on - point , but why should n't he be ? He 's trying to show innocence . He says in litigation , as in life , we show ourselves in best light . Lawyers indeed coach clients . O'Mara : Police , prosecutors , judges do it , too . Welcome to litigation . Everyone is watching .