If you’re involved in a legal case, you might be aware that a deposition summary is a document that summarizes a formal interview of a witness or party in a legal case. Below we give more details about deposition summaries to help you understand its purpose and its importance for all parties in a legal case.
What Is the Basis of a Deposition Summary?
It is important for several reasons:
- It allows you to keep track of what your witness said. If you are preparing for trial and need to remember what the witness said during deposition, this document can help jog your memory.
- The deposition summary can be used in court to refresh your own or another attorney’s memory about what the witness said during deposition. This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes time to present evidence before a judge and jury.
- If you are using someone else’s deposition summary as part of your case, this document may also be helpful in ensuring that everyone involved has an accurate understanding of what was said during deposition.
- It’s a great way to get a sense of what was said during the deposition and what was important, and it provides a good starting point for your own analysis.
- It can help you make sure that your witness is being honest in their testimony by checking their statements against the transcript. You can also use it as evidence when you go to court.
What Should It Include?
The deposition summary should include the following information:
- When and where the deposition was taken
- The names of all parties involved in the case and their attorneys
- What the deposition was about (the subject matter) and why it was taken
- Who conducted the deposition, who took notes during it, and who submitted them to court records
- What kinds of questions they asked during the deposition and how many times each question was asked
So, if you are going to file a medical malpractice case, it is highly likely that your lawyer will request a deposition summary. These give the plaintiff and the defense a quick snapshot of the witness’s history or conditions. It saves both parties from having to ask each other questions about it, and speeds up the process of getting evidence from the witness.
About the Author
Sheila LaCivita got paralegal degree with distinction from UCLA and has been helping lawyers with deposition summaries. She wants to share her knowledge and experience with others.
