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Timestamp: 2013-05-18 20:46:17
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Just what are “the usual stipulations”? The answer is that it depends. The usual stipulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and might even vary within jurisdictions according to the local practice. The usual stipulations might include agreements based on the jurisdiction’s procedural rules—for example, that all objections except those as to form are waived. The usual stipulations might also include agreements based on years of local practice—for example, that depositions, despite a rule to the contrary, need not ever be filed with the court.
With this said, it is okay to make agreements about the rules that will govern your deposition. Just make sure you understand exactly what you are agreeing to. If the opposing lawyer asks for a stipulation, make him or her spell out exactly what he or she is proposing on the record. Only then should you make your decision about whether or not you can agree to it. §1:92 The Role of the Court Reporter
The court reporter is responsible for “swearing the witness”—that is, administering an oath to the witness to tell the truth. Once the deposition begins, the court reporter transcribes the proceedings and, if asked, attaches exhibit stickers to your exhibits. You can make life easier for the court reporter by following these tips:
If you read from an exhibit, do not read so fast that the court reporter has difficulty taking down what you say. During breaks, provide the court reporter with the spellings of any difficult names.
If you do not want something on the record, remember to say, “Off the record.” Don’t begin talking until the court reporter stops typing. This way, if you get into a dispute with the opposing lawyer about what is on or off the record, you do not have to worry about the court reporter taking down something you did not want recorded. [§§1:93-1:99 Reserved]
You will find standard preliminary questions like these at the beginning of this book’s sample outlines. One reason for using the standard preliminary questions is to put the deponent at ease right from the start. But more importantly, they will help you later if you need to impeach the witness with his or her prior testimony. For more on this point, see §1:101.
The preliminary questions do not necessarily have to come right at the beginning of a deposition. Since both the lawyer and the witness will expect you to begin with easy topics, you can often gain a tactical advantage by heading straight into an important issue. Try mixing up your deposition outline by beginning with “Can you tell us your name please for the record,” then jump to a topic that would normally happen much later in the deposition. Later, you can circle back to complete the preliminary questions at your leisure.
If you mess up after you have started a question, simply say “strike that” and start over. Another method of starting over is to say to the witness, “I’m going to start over. Okay?” This way, after the witness answers “yes,” your corrected question will start on a new line of the deposition transcript. The sample depositions in these books contains thousands of examples of appropriately-phrased deposition questions. You can also learn about basic questioning technique simply by reviewing deposition transcripts, both your own and those taken by other lawyers.
Leading questions should be short and to the point. They should also be phrased as a positive, not a negative. Beware the following common error, which will result in frequent follow-up questions: Q: It was 2:10 p.m., is that not correct?
When do you know when to end a deposition? You end a deposition when you have asked all the questions you want to ask. Do not let your opposing lawyer pressure you into ending the deposition before you’re ready to end it. When you think you are finished, ask to take a break. Look over your deposition outline to make sure you have not skipped anything you want to ask. Look over your notes to make sure you have properly followed up on all the witness’s answers.
When you are conducting this review, be methodical. Take your time. It is probably the only opportunity you will have to question the witness, so do not end the deposition until you’re ready to end it. When you know you are ready to complete the deposition, say, “No further questions.” If the other lawyer does not have any questions either, the deposition is complete. For more information, see §1:104 Questions by Opposing Counsel.
It is always a useful exercise to ask yourself after each deposition how you could have improved your performance. When depositions become not only a means of preparing your case for trial, but also an opportunity for learning, you will hone your deposition skills much more rapidly than the average lawyer. Some lawyers keep a running tally of their own self-criticisms, which they review when preparing for the next deposition. It’s a great way to stay focused on your goal of getting beyond the basics. Another useful exercise is to critique the performance of your opposing lawyer. You will find yourself picking up tricks and techniques that you can easily add to your own deposition repertoire. §1:122 Practice Tip: Motions in Limine
Can a witness “outsmart” the lawyer who is asking questions at a deposition? It can certainly happen during a trial, especially during cross-examination. But a deposition is different than cross-examination. Assuming the goal of your deposition is one of the common ones—finding out what the witness knows, learning about the other side’s defenses, obtaining admissions, and so on—then you are not cross-examining, but just trying to get information. This usually means there won’t be any opportunity for the witness to “outsmart” you. Instead, there will only be opportunities to evade, mislead, or lie, which isn’t outsmarting you at all—it’s getting the witness in deeper if he’s caught. If the witness lies, he’s likely to be caught. Once the deposition ends, the discovery phase of your case continues. Unlike cross-examination, which comes at the end of the case, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to test the truthfulness of a witness’ deposition answers as the case continues.
When you are ready to use a document, hand it to the court reporter to be marked with a deposition exhibit. Remember not to say anything when the court reporter is placing the exhibit sticker on the document: with only one set of hands, the court reporter will not be able to record what you are saying. Next hand a copy of the exhibit (or the exhibit itself if you don’t have a copy) to the opposing lawyer. This is courtesy that will allow the opposing lawyer to follow along without having to look over the witness’s shoulder. The exhibit should then be handed to the witness. Ask the witness to identify it. Any of the following questions will serve this purpose:
If you ask a witness about a document, your opposing counsel may say, “Objection, the documents speaks for itself.” In most jurisdictions, this is an objection without substance, so you can carry on by asking the witness to answer over the objection. If you want to have a witness comment on a passage in a document, one way to do it is like this:
Every so often, you will encounter a witness who is not intimidated in the slightest by the deposition process and who wants to demonstrate this fact by being rude or flippant. Initially, you should ignore this behavior—refuse to take the bait, as it were—and see whether the witness becomes more cooperative on realizing that these antics will not become a shortcut to having to answer the questions. When a question is answered flippantly, simply ask the question again. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think you answered fully. Let me ask the question again.”
Some witnesses—doctors, for example—are very aware of the time the deposition is taking. Sometimes it helps to remind the uncooperative witness that the deposition will take much longer if he or she fails to give you straight answers to your questions. Here’s a final tip: if you suspect ahead of time that the witness will be uncooperative, conduct a video deposition. The presence of a video camera often keeps even the most demanding witnesses in line.
As a last resort, you can seek court involvement. See §1:164 Seeking Judicial Intervention. §1:141 Practice Tip: Impeachment Nuggets
Based on the witness’s answers to your other questions, you will be able to sense whether the witness is telling you the truth about his or her inability to remember. If you think the witness is credible, you can try to refresh his or her recollection with documents or by telling the witness how other witnesses have testified. Try this approach: “Mr. Witness, I’ll represent to you that Mr. Clearly testified under oath that you were present at the meeting, sitting just to his right, and that you stopped the meeting during the discussion, stood up, and said you disagreed with the board’s resolution. Does that refresh your recollection as to whether you were at the meeting?”
Demonstrate that even though the witness claims he or she cannot remember details about the event that are important to issues in the case, the witness can recall insignificant details about the same event. Demonstrate that even though the witness claims he or she cannot remember details about the event at issue, the witness has a clear recollection of other events that happened long before.
Keep in mind that if the witness claims he or she cannot remember, you can use this answer to take the witness out completely as a witness in the case on the particular issue. If done properly, the witness’s “forgetfulness” will allow you to present your own uncontradicted testimony on the issue. In order to do this, however, you have to pin down the forgetful witness by asking questions that would make it difficult for the witness to claim later that he or she suddenly remembered the answer. For example, to preclude the possibility that the witness will claim later that he or she remembered the answer after reviewing documents about the issue, ask the witness during the deposition whether there are any documents you can show him or her that would refresh his or her recollection. When the witness answers no, this will close the door on this route to a newly-refreshed recollection.
The witness might be refusing to answer your leading questions with a yes or no answer. The witness might be adding information not called for by the question because he or she thinks it is damaging to your case. The witness might be rambling on about issues that are not relevant to the case in an attempt to stall you.
In most jurisdictions, you can also move to strike non-responsive answers by saying, “I move to strike that answer as non-responsive. Here’s the question again . . . .” Since many witnesses think there might be some personal penalty attached to having their answers stricken, this can be quite an effective tool for controlling witnesses. In rare cases in which the witness refuses to answer your questions, you might have to seek judicial intervention. See §1:164 Seeking Judicial Intervention
The solution is simple: consider your outline merely a starting point or a checklist, and then be flexible enough to respond to the witness’s answers with appropriate follow-up questions. Once you have enough experience forming succinct deposition questions on the fly, you can change your deposition outlines so that they only contain a list of topics. This way, the process of asking good follow-up questions will happen naturally. §1:145 The Witness Who Talks Too Little
Handling the witness who talks too little is really a process of retraining the witness to forget his or her lawyer’s warnings not to volunteer information. It usually takes only a few minutes of prodding with simple follow-up questions before the witness starts acting like a normal person again. §1:146 The Difficult Opposing Counsel
You: Wait, Mr. Witness. Counsel, that’s a speaking objection. It’s improper. Please don’t do it again. If you do, I’m going to stop this deposition and file a motion. You should not have to tolerate speaking objections. Most lawyers will stop once they know you are on to them. If they do not, you have no choice but to assert your rights by seeking judicial intervention.
Will the technique work in depositions? Maybe so. Try it out in a case that involves both a central, key narrative, like a car accident or a work injury, and a witness who has a strong motive to lie. T. Evan Schaeffer began his career as a defense lawyer, but since 1996 has worked primarily on the plaintiffs’ side. Schaeffer’s areas of practice include complex commercial and tort litigation, including mass torts and class actions, as well as general civil litigation. Mr. Schaeffer’s publications include articles and essays in many newspapers and magazines, including the Chicago Tribune, the Houston Chronicle, the
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and the
Illinois Bar Journal. Mr. Schaeffer also publishes two weblogs, The Illinois Trial Practice Weblog and Evan Schaeffer’s Legal Underground. Mr. Schaeffer is the author of Deposition Checklists and Strategies, from which this article is excerpted.
1,000’s of pattern deposition questions plus tips & tactics and bonus discovery forms, in print and on CD. Related Titles
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