Using and Adjusting Your Deposition Outline

An outline can be a helpful tool for preparing for a deposition, but it shouldn’t become restrictive. Treating your outline as a rough draft instead of the final version will give you the flexibility you need to conduct a thorough deposition without being restricted by your initial plan. Using your deposition outline to prepare your court reporter in San Jose for any potentially challenging aspects of testimony, such as industry-specific terminology, can also be helpful.

A deposition outline helps you map out the questions you want to ask in the order in which you want to ask them. It also helps you highlight the information you have and what you want to gain through deposition testimony. However, it is important to react to the situation at hand during the deposition itself. As witnesses provide information in the course of the deposition, give yourself the freedom to address new information and change your planned questions in response to new facts. This will allow you to get the most from the testimony without overlooking any important details.