By From early case planning to witness preparation, modern litigation practices are facing significant changes in conduct. Remote deposition is one such technological advancement that we have seen in recent years in the legal practices.
For lawyers, this is a significant improvement in the process, ultimately advancing the rules of law. However, effective use of remote deposition is required to conduct a thorough legal process while giving your clients a solution.
Solving a successful case is a lot of work for a lawyer. Whether gathering testimonies or conducting an interrogation, remote deposition comes as a solution to remove geographical barriers. A busy trial attorney often gets into a tricky situation with a lot of transcripts to summarize.
Well, hiring an assistant is not always a solution as it takes money. On the other hand, you have to do it on your own, which eats your time. The best depo summary service can be your hope during the quick settlement of your cases.
Why is Remote Deposition Important?
Litigation preparation demands –
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Adaptability
- strategic foresight
Therefore, adapting new technological legal solutions, such as remote or virtual depositions, can help minimize legal constraints regarding timing, cooperation, and management of legal practices.
- Save Expenses: Remote deposition is a valuable tool for saving on expenses like transportation costs (not only for you but for your clients and other involved parties as well).
- Avoid Unnecessary Inconvenience: Remote deposition removes geographical limitations. This advanced solution also creates a flexible case-conducting process without inconvenience to lawyers, clients, and other witnesses.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, almost 90% depositions were conducted virtually. Nowadays, the percentage might have dropped to 50% but remote deposition is here to stay.
Best Practices for Successful Remote Deposition
According to the recent survey by the American Bar Association (ABA), 86% of lawyers prefer remote deposition over in-person meetings.
However, when it comes to remote technology, where do you stand to make it successful?
If you are in a dilemma, check out these tried and tested legal remote deposition practices.
- Know all the rules that apply to a remote deposition. This means not only the laws but the jurisdictions of the native place.
- Try to conduct a group meeting and inform everyone about this virtual interrogation or testimonial. Also, inform them about how long the conference will last and what medium will be used to connect to each other.
- Time is crucial here. Therefore, try to conduct the deposition at a time when everyone is free to join comfortably. Know the local time zones and ensure that the geographical time difference does not impact the remote deposition.
- Convince the clients and other people related to the deposition via video call. Not everyone is aware of this virtual feature, and they might feel insecure about this process. Therefore, let them understand the complete condition as everything will be conducted with the presence of the opponent, lawyers, and judge in real time.
- Sometimes audio calls are also used as a medium of remote deposition. However, try not to consider video calls as this can be more comfortable, genuine, and realistic for everyone to see and interact during the conversation.
- Understand and test the technology before conducting virtual deposition. A quality communication is required for attorneys to effectively communicate with involved clients and opposition parties without interruptions. A reliable internet connection and other important technological tools can make it successful.
Often Overlooked Practices
- Make sure all parties in both locations have the same understanding of what’s going on. If there are any questions or confusion, it’s better to clear them up before the proceedings begin than during.
- All your client wants is quick justice. Try to schedule the meeting at the common busy hours when there is a chance for people to be aware, no matter the location. This way you can avoid rescheduling difficulties and delays.
- Keep enough space in your device. A proper device with a larger hard drive and memory base can perform smoothly during the ongoing remote deposition without glitches.
- Don’t make it completely remote. Confused? Well, meet your client first in person and understand their problems and current situation before you go for a remote deposition. Fix the date, know the concerns and make remote deposition an inevitable success.
Look for Solid Foundation
Find a solid starting point for remote deposition. Before drafting the whole conversation, try to consider a form for remote deposition protocol that litigators need to use as the start. Remote deposition is an easy-to-go solution that requires multiple efforts.
Remember our mentioned practices for conducting an uninterrupted remote deposition.
More Resources:
What's your reaction?
