Deposition Techniques and Strategies: Beyond the Basics

Sharpening Evaluation, Questioning and Objection Skills in Taking or Defending Depositions

Recording of a 90-minute CLE webinar with Q&A

Conducted on Thursday, May 5, 2011

Recorded event now available

or call 1-800-926-7926
Program Materials

This CLE webinar will provide strategies for attorneys to hone their deposition skills. The panel will discuss sharpening witness evaluation skills, outline effective questioning techniques, and offer their experiences with methods to box in a witness.

Description

Effective deposition skills are the heart of litigation practice. Utilizing the latest techniques can take your litigation practice to a new level. Gaining valuable information during a deposition is key to a positive—or negative—case outcome.

Litigators need advanced skills to take and defend a deposition and use the deposition testimony during discovery and at trial. Successful litigators have developed a number of techniques in their arsenal to prepare witnesses for deposition and to question or defend witnesses.

Preparing or defending the deponent, taking control of the dynamics of a deposition, effectively questioning the witness or raising objections have significant impact on the information obtained through witness deposition testimony. Legal ethics must also be carefully considered during depositions.

Listen as our authoritative panel of litigators discusses effective witness preparation techniques, advanced questioning methods, and strategies for using deposition testimony during discovery, negotiations and at trial.

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Outline

  1. Preparing for depositions
    1. Developing a discovery strategy
    2. Determining whether to or not to take a deposition
    3. Preparing for the personality dynamics — the witness and opposing counsel
    4. Preparing the witness
  2. Conducting the deposition
    1. Determining your style
    2. Crafting questions to determine the deponent’s personality
    3. Ways to use exhibits
    4. Handling opposing counsel’s objections
    5. Listening techniques
  3. Defending the deposition
    1. Prepare your witness prior to the deposition
    2. Teach your witness listening skills
    3. Raising objections
    4. Ways to assert or gain control
  4. Using deposition testimony
    1. Post-deposition strategies
    2. Using deposition testimony during discovery
    3. Using deposition testimony during trial

Benefits

The panel will review these and other key questions:

  • What are the most effective deposition preparation techniques?
  • What are the best methods to control the dynamics of the deposition?
  • What deposition questioning techniques will maximize the information you obtain from the witness?
  • What are the best strategies to defend the deposition?
  • How can deposition testimony be most effectively used during the case?

Following the speaker presentations, you'll have an opportunity to get answers to your specific questions during the interactive Q&A.

Faculty

Mark E. Goodman
Mark E. Goodman
Shareholder
Capes Sokol Goodman & Sarachan

Drawing on more than 38 years of legal experience, he counsels clients in the areas of commercial litigation, and is...  |  Read More

John A. Snow
John A. Snow
Shareholder
Van Cott

His practice focuses on general civil litigation. He is listed in "The Best Lawyers in America" in the areas...  |  Read More

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Strafford will process CLE credit for one person on each recording. All formats include program handouts. To find out which recorded format will provide the best CLE option, select your state:

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