§ 1-11-205 — Order of trial

(a) When the jury has been sworn, the trial shall proceed
in the following order, unless the court for good cause
otherwise directs:
(i) The party who has the burden of the issues may
briefly state his case and the evidence by which he expects to
sustain it;
(ii) The adverse party may then briefly state his
defense and the evidence he expects to offer in support of it;
(iii) The party who has the burden of the issues
shall first produce his evidence, the adverse party will then
produce his evidence;
(iv) The parties will then be confined to rebutting
evidence unless the court permits them to offer evidence in
their original case;
(v) When the evidence is concluded, and either party
desires special instructions to be given to the jury, the
instructions shall be reduced to writing, numbered and signed by
the party or his attorney asking the same, and delivered to the
court;
(vi) Before argument of the cause is begun, the court
shall give such instructions of the law to the jury as may be
necessary. The instructions shall be in writing, numbered and
signed by the judge;
(vii) Where either party asks special instructions to
be given to the jury, the court shall either give such
instructions as requested, give the instructions with
modifications, or refuse to give them. The court shall mark each
instruction offered so that it shall appear which instructions
were given in whole or in part, and which were refused, so that
either party may except to the instructions as given, refused or
modified. All instructions given by the court together with
those refused shall be filed as a part of the record.