Depositions

Courses

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   Remote Depositions

   Considerations for taking, defending, and preparing for a remote deposition, including technology challenges, ethical issues, handling exhibits, and prepping a witness for the remote format.

   • Defending a Deposition
   • Taking a Deposition
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   Tips for Taking a Deposition

   Tips and strategies for taking a deposition, including starting the deposition off right, asking questions effectively, dealing with a difficult witness or opposing counsel, and ending the deposition well.

   • Examining a Witness
   • Taking a Deposition
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   Deposition Witness Prep: Explaining Mechanics and Strategy

   Discussion of how to conduct a witness prep meeting, focusing on making the witness comfortable with how the deposition will work, explaining how depositions differ from ordinary conversation, and giving the witness tips on how to answer questions.

   • Defending a Deposition
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   Deposition Witness Prep: Reviewing Facts and Documents

   Discussion of how to conduct a witness prep meeting, focusing on preparing the witness for the substantive aspect of the deposition—reviewing the substantive topics and potential exhibits with the witness, and conducting mock questioning.

   • Defending a Deposition
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   Deposition Witness Prep: Ethical Issues

   Discussion of ethical rules and obligations about influencing the witness’s testimony and strategies to navigate this important ethical issue.

   • Defending a Deposition
   • Ethics in Litigation
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   Reviewing Your Transcript

   The importance of reviewing your transcript after the deposition, things to look for, and how to learn from your mistakes.

   • Post-Deposition Procedures
   • Taking a Deposition
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   Final Checklist for Taking a Deposition

   Checklist of things to confirm, bring and know before taking a deposition.

   • Taking a Deposition
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   Deposition Objections

   Discusses the standard objections and when they would be used, objection procedure and different rules on speaking objections.

   • Defending a Deposition
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   Defending a Deposition

   Discussion of the role of the defending lawyer, ways to protect the witness, rules on counseling the witness during the deposition, correcting testimony, and re-direct.

   • Defending a Deposition
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    Defending a Corporate Deposition

    Strategies and procedures for defending a corporate witness, including what to do when your witness doesn’t know the answer, questions outside the scope of topics, and rehabilitating the witness through re-direct.

    • Corporate Depositions
    • Defending a Deposition
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    Asking Good Deposition Questions

    In-depth look at effective deposition questioning, including open versus closed questions, the funnel approach, strategies for getting admissions, cross-examination, and testing case theories.

    • Examining a Witness
    • Taking a Deposition
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    Tips for Creating a Useful Record

    Strategies and tips for asking questions and getting testimony that is clear and usable after the deposition.

    • Taking a Deposition
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    Common Mistakes in Deposition Questioning

    A look at common missteps when taking a deposition, and how to avoid those mistakes in your questioning.

    • Examining a Witness
    • Taking a Deposition
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    Deposition Erratas

    Rules about correcting the transcript, the format and content of an errata sheet, and procedure for preparing an errata sheet and signing the deposition transcript.

    • Post-Deposition Procedures
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    Taking a Corporate Deposition

    Strategies, rules, and procedures when taking a corporate deposition, and obtaining information responsive to a deposition topic.

    • Corporate Depositions
    • Examining a Witness
    • Taking a Deposition
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    Drafting a Corporate Deposition Notice

    Examination of a corporate deposition notice and drafting tips.

    • Corporate Depositions
    • Taking a Deposition
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    Confidentiality Designations in Depositions

    Discussion of different requirements in protective orders for confidentiality designations in deposition transcripts and the process of reviewing a transcript and designating material confidential.

    • Ethics in Litigation
    • Post-Deposition Procedures
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    Preparing Documents for Deposition

    Discussion of the process of reviewing and selecting documents for depositions.

    • Taking a Deposition
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    Using Exhibits in Depositions

    Procedure for proper marking of exhibits, useful questions about exhibits, strategies for selecting documents to mark as exhibits, and common mistakes with exhibits.

    • Taking a Deposition
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    Deposition Notices and Subpoenas

    Procedure for noticing or subpoenaing a deposition, examples of a deposition notice and subpoena, and the process of scheduling depositions.

    • Taking a Deposition
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    Preparing a Corporate Deposition Witness

    Rules and tips for selecting the corporate witness; how a corporate witness’s role differs from a fact witness; assembling materials for corporate witness prep; reviewing the topics with the witness; and tips for reviewing the topics and practicing Q&A with a corporate witness.

    • Corporate Depositions
    • Defending a Deposition
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    Drafting a Deposition Outline

    Detailed how-to of the process of drafting a deposition outline, with practical tips and examination of examples.

    • Taking a Deposition
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    Responding to a Corporate Deposition Notice

    How to respond to a corporate deposition notice, including the different objections, coordinating a response with your client, and how to handle the meet-and-confer process with opposing counsel.

    • Corporate Depositions
    • Defending a Deposition