This book provides comprehensive descriptions and concrete illustrations of effective strategies and techniques for taking and defending depositions. The book can serve as a text for a 2-4 unit stand-alone depositions course (either live client or simulated) or as a supplement to a civil pre-trial lawyering course. The book devotes separate chapters to such fundamental skills as obtaining helpful answers to critical questions, undercutting harmful testimony, obtaining a deponent's version of significant events, and obtaining information from evasive deponents. Other chapters include topics such as responding to inconsistent or implausible testimony, overcoming opposing counsel's objections and obstructionist tactics, and preparing a client to be deposed.

Product Description: Explains how to prepare a case for trial by identifying historical factual propositions that satisfy applicable legal elements; identifying evidence and inferences tending to prove or disprove the crucial factual propositions in a case; organizing evidence into persuasive arguments, whether the evidence is disputed or undisputed or suggests an implausibility in a witness' story; and understanding the influence of "silent arguments" and taking advantage of or countering such arguments...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)