Litigating in the Virtual World: Passing Fad or Wave of the Future?
Sitting with the C-Suite: The New Normal - Embracing Remote Technology
VIRTUAL ADR UPDATE – TECHNOLOGY, CYBERSECURITY AND UNIQUE ISSUES PRESENTED BY HON. JOHN P. DIBLASI
Sitting with the C-Suite: COVID 19 Impact – Four Sectors of Change for the Legal Industry
Remote depositions took hold during COVID and continue to be common; one study conducted in 2021 found that while 87 percent of lawyers rarely or never participated in remote depositions before COVID, 83 percent expected to...more
It’s a common practice during a deposition for lawyers to assert legal objections to witness testimony but then allow the deposition to proceed. In fact, this practice is broadly encouraged. Depositions are wide-ranging...more
As a presentation technology consultant, I have been sitting in the hot seat for almost 25 years. I average one trial a month with about 75% being medical malpractice (med mal) cases. I work with both plaintiff and defense...more
With the COVID pandemic, remote video depositions and trial testimony very quickly went from rare to routine. Remote testimony, for the most part, is viewed as a convenience to both witnesses and attorneys, and parties and...more
Though typically conducted in a conference room, a deposition can take place in many locations and through a variety of methods. So long as you capture a verbatim record, either face-to-face or remotely through the use of...more
Depositions were once an almost exclusively in-person process. In the not-so-distant past, remote depositions were used infrequently, but they became a necessity during lockdowns in 2020. Today, both remote and hybrid...more
The lines between witness preparation and improper coaching are gray. According to the ABA, “[T]he task of delineating what is necessary and proper and what is ethically prohibited during witness preparation has become more...more
If we can do weddings, funerals, healthcare, work, and trials via videoconference, surely we can do the same with depositions. And with that closing remark, a federal magistrate judge summarily dispatched one litigant’s...more
Broadly speaking, most personal injury claims survive the death of the plaintiff. They live on as survivor’s actions or wrongful death claims brought by representatives of the deceased plaintiff’s estate....more
In Client escapes sanction for lawyer’s refusal to appear on camera in Zoom deposition (abajournal.com)(Jan. 25, 2024,), Debra C. Weiss reported on Agnone v. Agnone, 2024 WL 242488 (Cal. App., 2d Dist., Jan. 23,...more
If the word “Shaq” conjures up the image of professional basketball legend and amiable IcyHot liniment pitchman Shaquille O’Neal, you could be missing out on a valuable mnemonic device for preparing witnesses for deposition:...more
An attorney who surreptitiously fed answers to his client – roughly 50 times during a six-hour remote deposition, according to court documents – has been given a public reprimand by the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers....more
For the second time this year, the American Bar Association is offering guidance on how litigators can successfully, and ethically, minimize the occurrence of witness coaching during remote depositions. The ABA’s advice in a...more
“He’s going to tell the truth. The truth is very, you know, complicated. So we went over it carefully, and just not to leave anything up to chance . . . . or Michael’s judgment.” Fans of the NBC sitcom, the Office, might...more
Depositions can be stressful affairs. For many witnesses, depositions are a once-in-a-lifetime plunge into the unknown with a lot riding on their testimony. Sitting in a room full of strangers, listening to lawyers argue over...more
Even today some attorneys approach remote depositions with a small measure of trepidation. They worry that the lack of physical proximity diminishes their ability to engage with the deponent. They wonder how they can...more
The following highlights several of the changes to the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure that went into effect on July 1, 2023. The changes impact, among other things, physical and remote appearance, the rules governing...more
After the COVID-19 pandemic shook the world in early 2020, many industries pivoted to conducting business in ways that reduced or eliminated face-to-face interactions. Fortunately, with internet capability generally...more
The number of remote legal proceedings hit a peak a few years back, but the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency doesn’t mean a reversal to pre-pandemic logistics. While they can have some drawbacks, virtual...more
If a court trial or successful settlement is the Superbowl, then depositions are the key games in the season that get you there. Each deposition is an official, sworn record of witness testimony that can yield critical...more
No other pretrial discovery process rivals the deposition for its ability to alter the course of civil litigation. Depositions alone bring litigators face-to-face with key witnesses, experts, and the parties themselves in a...more
There are four main ways to conduct a pretrial deposition in modern law practice: the deposition by written question, the in-person deposition, the remote deposition, and the hybrid deposition. Each has its strengths and...more
Tips for Tackling Virtual Depositions - Up to 90% of depositions taken throughout the height of the pandemic were virtual, and that short-term need has generated a long-term change. In fact, in a recent survey, only 4% of...more
In this post, we’re going to share three excellent deposition tips taken from a recent online presentation, How to Prepare for Your First (or 100th) Deposition, delivered by a pair of Miami-based litigators. Among many other...more
The IRS proposed a revised version of Treas. Reg. § 1.401(a)-21 (the Proposed Regulation) that, if finalized, would make permanent the option of remote witnessing of required spousal consents to certain retirement plan...more