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Trial Advocacy College: Depositions — This is the most focused depositions seminar or training nationally available to trial lawyers.
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“Invest your time and money into the Depositions Seminar; it will have immediate, next day positive results on all your future depositions. It helped me, my partners, and my associates.”
—Thomas J. Vesper, Atlantic City, NJ, 39 years in practice
Thursday, June 7
Addressing Bias in Depositions
• How bias affects your deposition strategy
• Using the deposition to overcome bias
Paul J. Scoptur
Developing a Discovery Plan
• Who, what, when, where, and why to depose
• The written plan
• Sequencing your discovery
• Identifying your weakness
David R. Cohen
Ten Rules for Effective Depositions
• Controlling the environment of the depositions
• Developing goals
• Obtaining material for cross
Michael Patrick Doyle
Elise R. Sanguinetti
Adverse Lay Witness Depositions: Techniques of Exhaustion, Boxing-In, Summarization
• Making the witness tell you everything he or she knows
• Summarizing techniques to keep the witness from changing his or her testimony
• Cementing the witness’ testimony
Carl L. Solomon
Workshop Introductions
Networking Lunch
12:30 – 1:15 pm
Organizing for Expert Depositions and Planning Tactics
• Exploration of Expert Witness Opinions
• Using documents and learned treatises
• Exploiting the opponent’s weaknesses
Christopher J. O’Brien
Workshop on Taking Depositions: Bias, Sequencing, Exhaustion, Boxing-In, Summarization
Networking Reception
6:00 – 7:00 pm
Friday, June 8
Developing Rules and Standards
Paul J. Scoptur
Structuring the Deposition of a Difficult Witness
• How to identify the difficult witness
• How to control the difficult witness
• The one fact, one question approach
• How to deal with nonresponsive answers
Michael Patrick Doyle
General Considerations for Witness Deposition Preparation
• Special considerations for client preparation
Christopher J. O’Brien
Record Depositions and Rule 30(b)(6)
• Deposing the “corporation”
• Depositions by designation
• Structuring a 30(b)(6) notice
Carl L. Solomon
David R. Cohen
Dealing with the Difficult Situation and Attorney (ethics)
• Redwood v. Dobson
• Handling objections
• Instructions not to answer
• Calling the judge
Moderator: Chris O’Brien
All Faculty
Workshop on Deposing the Lay Witness
Saturday, June 9
Deposing the Defense Medical Examiner
• Gaining concessions
• Developing cross material
• Obtaining information for use by your expert
• Discovery of economic interest
David R. Cohen
Michael Patrick Doyle
Later Use of Depositions at Settlement and Trial
Elise R. Sanguinetti
Workshop on Deposing Expert Witnesses
(Lunch provided)
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