Preparing for Depositions
Cases often come to life during the deposition stage. Through depositions, litigators discover what happened from those with firsthand knowledge, test the strengths and weaknesses of witnesses on both sides, and develop an understanding of their adversary's theory of the case. No matter which side you're on, depositions require significant preparation—and a junior associate's early experiences with depositions will likely involve helping another attorney prepare to take or to defend one. Although the junior might be playing "second chair," that role in the deposition process is essential. This course provides a comprehensive overview of depositions from the perspective of a junior associate, focusing on the function and goals of depositions and the preparation needed to effectively take and defend fact witness depositions.
Training outcomes
- Learn which sources of authority govern depositions in order to determine what is permitted, required, or prohibited in your jurisdiction and your case.
- Learn the fundamentals of deposition practice—including scheduling, questioning, objections, exhibits, and transcripts—in order to contribute effectively from the start.
- Learn how to prepare the materials a taking attorney relies on—from witness research and key documents through the deposition outline and potential exhibits—in order to support the examination as second chair.
- Learn how to help prepare the defending attorney and the witness—on process, substance, and privilege—in order to help protect your client and the record as second chair.
Preparing for both sides of the table
This course begins by explaining Next, it addresses Finally, it addresses
Learn by making mistakes in realistic, no-stakes exercises
As is always the case with Praktio courses, learners learn not just through watching and listening to practical lessons and examples but also through doing —not to test, but to provide opportunities to apply and practice, while receiving
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In case you were wondering
- Overview
- Rules of the Road
- Introduction
- General Discovery Rules
- Deposition-specific Rules
- General Rules of Evidence
- Interstate Discovery Rules
- Case-specific Orders & Stipulations
- Nuts & Bolts
- Introduction
- Uses
- Scheduling
- Oral Examination
- Written Examination
- Transcript
- Who Is Deposed
- Timing
- Location
- Goals of Taking
- Goals of Defending
- Questioning Generally
- Questioning Limitations
- Exhibits
- Defending Attorney's Role
- Preparing to Take
- Introduction
- Whether to Depose
- Initial Considerations: Whom
- Initial Considerations: How
- Notices & Subpoenas
- Logistics
- Preparing Materials
- Preliminary Steps
- Gathering Witness-specific Info
- Witness-related Docs
- Key Docs
- Other Written Discovery
- Depo Outline
- Depo Outline Substance
- Depo Outline Sequencing
- Preparing for the Day
- Preparing for In Person
- Preparing for Remote
- During the Depo
- After the Depo
- Summary & Follow-up
- Preparing to Defend
- Introduction
- Responding to Notice or Subpoena
- Preparing the Defending Attorney
- Outlines & Indexes
- Defending the Witness
- Prepping the Witness
- Prepping on Process
- Prepping on Substance
- Prepping on Privilege
- Prepping with Practice
- Logistics
- During the Depo
- After the Depo
- Protecting the Record
- Conclusion
CLE: Not currently available.
Duration: You will have 1 year from the date of purchase to access and complete your online course materials. On average, it takes about 3 hours to complete the whole course; however, learners get to decide how much time to spend on each exercise and module.
Accessing: Following checkout, you will receive an email providing you with access to your online course materials (if you purchased for yourself) or instructions for giving your team access (if you purchased for your team).
Compatibility: Please use Chrome on a PC or Mac computer.
Reference Materials: As part of this purchase, you will also receive an e-book (which you may download or print for your use and later reference).
We Don't Share Your Scores! Praktio does not share user performance data (e.g., "scores") with anyone, including employers (e.g., if you're an associate taking this training at a law firm). The only information shared with employers who purchase this training for their employees is progress data (e.g., how much of the course you have completed by when).