In recent years, the legal profession has been relying more on deposition summaries than in the past. There are several reasons these are being used more often than in past years.
Below are the main reasons lawyers use deposition summaries:
They Save Time
Time is important in all legal cases. That is what makes deposition summaries so great. They are used to recap the most important aspects of a deposition. This allows for fast reference in the courtroom and pretrial settings. With the summary in hand, the attorney can focus on more important legal work and allow her to spend more time focused on winning the case.
You can have a deposition summary done in house, but outsourcing this task can give more time to duties that are more vital to winning the legal case.
They Help in Pre-Trial Prep
A few hours of testimony in a deposition can lead to a big pile of paperwork. Some of it is relevant but not all of it is essential to the outcome of the case. To break out the most important parts, a deposition summary makes getting ready for a trial easier.
They are especially helpful in preparing the witness for the trial. Having a summary of their statement that highlights the key elements can prove extremely valuable in refreshing the witness’s memory before he testifies. It also can be used as a point of reference as you conduct legal research.
Delivers Value to the Client
Most law firms bill per hour. Summarizing witness statements takes time, but in the end, it can save the client money because the legal team does not have to sort through hundreds of pages of legal documents to find the most important parts.
Critical to the Court Process
The deposition summary offers a frame of reference for the other counsel’s witness testimony. There is a lot of value in identifying the vital points of the other side’s statement. For instance, this makes it easier to discredit the witness who changes major parts of their statement.
The summary also is helpful to the judge. A well-written witness statement summary that deals with the guidelines of the court are admissible by the judge, who can use that summary to make a summing up statement or even make use of it during the trial.
Deposition summaries are an essential part of most legal cases, so make sure you take advantage of them!