A guest post by Elsie Cook from 4 corners Depo
A deposition is a vital part of every trial. It should be conducted in such a manner that it is clear to the Attorney General during the trial. It is one of the crucial subjects to be noted in litigation that helps to understand the witness during the time of trial.
A good deposition summary stands by some key factors. Let us have a look at these factors.
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What are the steps for writing a perfect Deposition Summary?
Deposition Summary should be legible, trustworthy, and should have a strong comment before the court without bias.
Prepare the points
Have a clear vision of points to be noted. Be conscious of all points and their importance
Read Thoroughly
Go through the entire testimony with keen attention. Must have the ability to understand and recognize the legal points that the witness may try to eradicate.
Compare Depositions
Read the deposition of other witnesses, compare it, and summarize the deposition. Also, note the point that contradicts with other depositions.
Don’t change the context of the material
The testimony of a witness should include whether the statement is in the context of the statement or whether they actually saw the action.
Prioritize Information
The main portion of the deposition summary is to prioritize information. The information should be a summarized one and should help the court to read it clearly and understand the situation.
Summarize
Go through the testimony once more and try to absorb it fully. Summarize it and make it perfect. To make it more clear to the Attorney, draw the map, schematic diagram, and summarize.
Prepare a brief note
Make a brief note of what the witness had revealed to you in chronological order. Prepare a list and mark the points which are more important in the trial.
Proofread
After your deposition summary is completed, get it proofread by someone else to find out any spelling or grammatical errors. The proofreader may also indicate any contradiction in the summary.
Final Words
These are the key things that you have to keep in mind while preparing a deposition summary. A deposition summary helps a lot to lawyers and also those who are involved in the trial.
This process of summarising will take some time. The lawyers can utilize this time in concentrating on other tasks which are also related to the same trial. The main advantage of a deposition summary is its usefulness for everyone like the court, firms, and clients, etc.
