Preparing for a Successful Deposition
If you have scheduled a legal deposition in San Jose, you’ll want to do everything necessary to ensure that it goes smoothly and successfully. Failing to provide necessary deposition services may require you to reschedule the deposition, and can even result in the deposition itself being rendered inadmissible. Here are some key ways to prepare for a successful legal deposition.
Consider the Deponent
You should take some time to analyze certain facts about your deponent when preparing for your deposition. The primary things you will want to consider include what information you are hoping to gain or corroborate from the deponent’s testimony, what documents you may need the deponent to authenticate, and whether the deponent is more sympathetic to the plaintiff or the defendant. All of these facts will help you develop a strategy to use when questioning the deponent and interacting with his or her attorney.
Outline Your Questions
Once you have your strategy in mind, create a list of questions to ask the deponent. These questions should be straightforward, simple, and clearly related to your goal. Most depositions began with some background information about the deponent and how his testimony is relevant to the case. You can then proceed with asking the deponent to corroborate facts and authenticate documents. For the most part, deposition questions that relate to specific events in time should be asked chronologically to ensure that you don’t confuse the deponent.
Reserve Necessary Deposition Services
If you scheduled the deposition, you are responsible for reserving or securing necessary deposition services. The deposition should be held in an attorney’s office, conference room, or at the courthouse. You will need to request the services of a court reporter or court stenographer to create a court transcript or deposition video of the proceedings. If you need the deponent to sign any affidavits, you will need to arrange notary services. If the deponent is hearing impaired or does not speak English, you must provide interpretation services.