Digesting a deposition is an important part of a lawyer’s or paralegal’s job. But why should you do that if you have a complete deposition transcript typed by the court reporter?
Actually, digesting deposition summaries is something that needs to be done. Below is why.
First, digesting a deposition is a critical step after a deposition that means writing a short, objective summary of the witness deposition in a legal case. A deposition is where the witness is asked to provide testimony under oath during a lawsuit.
During the deposition, attorneys will ask a witness questions related to the legal action. The answers from the witness are recorded by the court reporter. After the transcript is finalized by the court reporter, it is possible you could have hundreds of pages to read.
This is when digesting a deposition is important. It is a process that condenses this legal transcript into the essential elements.
Preparing the deposition summary helps attorneys to prepare other depositions or to get ready for trial.
Deposition Transcript and Digest Differences
The deposition transcript is a word-for-word record of all words said by the lawyers and witnesses on both sides.
In the transcript, all of the questions and answers are written in the same fashion, just as they were asked and answered.
It is the job of the court reporter to prepare a full transcript of everything spoken during the deposition.
On the other hand, the deposition digest is a summary of the transcript written in a way that preserves its essential elements.
The idea of the digest is to cut down the deposition content to its shortest version without eliminating essential facts and statements.
When you summarize the deposition’s contents, it is critical to not change the facts, include opinions, or summarize witness statements without providing context.
The deposition brief helps to convey the essentials of a deposition by reducing the number of pages to read by at least a factor of 10.
Is It Necessary?
No, but if your case has a lengthy deposition and there are complex facts involved, it can be useful to prepare this digest.
Digesting and preparing the digest does take time, but it is important when you need to look back at the deposition to present your case in an organized manner.
Now that you understand what digesting a deposition means, you will be able to prepare for your legal cases better.
