How to Draft a Deposition Summary - Litigation Support Services

Author: Terry Joey

Deposition Summary Service

Medico Legal Request provides deposition summary services to independent attorneys and law firms to help them prepare for the trials better without the burden of summarizing the entire deposition all by themselves. The process of creating a deposition summary can take some time. By outsourcing deposition summary services, you can free up a significant amount of time for other crucial case-related activities that demand your attention.

What are the steps for preparing a Deposition Summary/Deposition Digest?

The basic steps that you should keep in mind while preparing a deposition summary are as follows:

  • 1. Read through the testimony and prepare the outline for the deposition
  • 2. Include additional discoveries which are helpful in the case
  • 3. Compare with other depositions
  • 4. Prepare notes
  • 5. Prepare the digest of deposition
  • 6. Proofread the work yourself or through a competent person.

Benefits of a Well-Drafted Deposition Summary

Pretrial Preparation Help: This helps a lot in pretrial preparation as a lot of effort and time are saved with respect to reviewing the entire testimony, and the same can be used to get prepared for the trial.

Convenience: A deposition summary provides great convenience to the lawyers since he doesn’t have to go through the entire testimony but simply review the key facts.

Helpful in Technical Testimony Cases: Witnesses who are technically qualified provide technical testimonies against personal injury, workers’ compensation, etc., that are essential to the trial process. Also, it aids in locating discrepancies through cross-verification amongst various deponents.

Time-Saving: Time is crucial in legal cases, and a deposition summary helps save time at large by providing a quick reference to main testimony points, enabling lawyers to focus on trial preparation and case strategies instead.

Useful for Everyone – The deposition summary is useful for everyone, including assigning attorneys, insurance companies, other clients, and litigation team members, etc.

Why are Deposition Summaries So Important?

Throughout the litigation process, multiple parties will rely on the deposition summary. For example, in cases involving insurance providers, both the client and the adjuster will want to review the summary. Attorneys rely on deposition summaries to prepare for pretrial motions, additional depositions, and trial witness exams. They are also useful for attorneys who could not be present at the deposition. Furthermore, well-written summaries can bring attention to noteworthy testimony and potential causes for witness impeachment.

Attorneys rely on deposition summaries to

  • 1. Prepare for pretrial
  • 2. Speed up the trial process and verdict
  • 3. Easily analyse the large volume of information
  • 4. Highlight key points using charts or graphs
Utilizing deposition summaries created by a reputable deposition summary company will give you a digest of each deposition's key topics. This can help you better manage your time as you build your case.