Webinar Date & Time: Wednesday, October 20, 2021from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Webinar Fee: $50

This program is online only

CPCS approved 2.0 CLE hours for the Adult Criminal Trials, CAFL and YAD panels.

Faculty

Thomas Jackson, Esq., author of the Practicing Law Institute’s The Deposition Handbook.

Felicia Ellsworth, Esq., Partner, WilmerHale; member, Massachusetts Civil Rules Committee

Depositions are the main discovery tool for obtaining the facts known by parties and third persons, to assess the objectivity of witnesses, and to challenge the conclusions of experts. Mastering the skills of the deposition process is crucial to litigation success. This program will improve your deposition skills. Among the topics in the program are:

• The proposed changes to the Massachusetts court rules governing the deposition process and the potential effect of those changes on that process
• A discussion of the need for civility in all phases of the litigation process
• Suggestions addressing common pitfalls in the conduct of depositions, including failing to prepare, poor language choices, failing to exhaust a witness’s knowledge of a topic, being distracted by objections or by the witness, not gaining useful admissions, failing to address documents properly or deal with “I don’t know answers,” as well as mistakes made by defending lawyers and issues presented by remote depositions.