Premise: Now, I don't have time to preside over a deposition at this late date. And I know that you respect that. You're experienced counsel and you know that. I do know from my private practice experience that I was extremely loathed to get a judge on the telephone in mid-deposition. That could be one of the most unhappy experiences that a lawyer would have.
Hypothesis: The narrator is very free and has time to preside over a deposition