Nolo's Deposition Handbook

The two authors are law professors at UCLA, and their talent for weaving essential content into mnemonic, entertaining bites shines in this book. I'm not personally familiar with the law faculty at UCLA, but most likely they don't retain the ignorant and misinformed, in turn implying that these folks must know what they are writing about. General ideas are followed by nutshell examples that fix the concept in mind in a way easily remembered. Names in the examples are simply charming. For example, there is Jerry Atric and a wrongfully discharged employee named Mal Treeted. We also hear the brief story of a software contractor named Evan Elpus suing Mackrosoft and deposing vice president Jenny Daynow and the President, Noah Way. Stupid, yes, and also funny. I'm mostly interested in the single chapter specifically for expert witnesses, easily worth the price of the entire book for me. For example, the tip about preparation for a deposition cautions about what documents to review and not review. Anything you review to refresh your recollection is discoverable. Documents otherwise not available to the other side may thus become available if you carelessly refer to them in preparation for a deposition. Small detail, but potentially vital. Generally, any documents in your file you bring to a deposition are subject to discovery and the other attorney is apt to have copies made of the entire file. Other advice is to keep a chronological file so you can keep dates and times easily reportable. There are many more nuggets for expert witnesses, although this is only one chapter. Part one is for deponents: 1) Overview, 2) Use in a Lawsuit, 3) Preparation, 4) Responding to Questions, 5) Beginnings, "the usual admonitions", 6) Background questions, 7) Refusing to answer questions, and 8) Expert witnesses. Part 2 is doing depositions when you represent yourself. Although interesting to read, if I were ever involved in a lawsuit important enough to involve depositions, I would want an attorney representing me. Even if depositions were not involved, if it is a lawsuit, I would personally want to be represented by an attorney.

If you are not familiar with the deposition process, then get this book first. I don't see how you can get a better education for the price of this book.

As a monitor of the information desk at the Harold Washington Library, Chicago's main library, I regularly make referrals to people looking for all kinds of information. Whenever I'm asked about books on depositions, the first one that comes to mind is "The Deposition Handbook: A Guide To Help You Give A Winning Deposition," by Virginia A. Lathan. But recently I also came across this book, "Nolo's Deposition Handbook," and I'm thoroughly impressed by the in-depth information it contains on all aspects of the deposition process. Not only is the book well written, but it also has a useful glossary for readily looking up legal terms. It also contains numerous examples of what the author is trying to convey. Additionally, it's well indexed. I particularly found the appendices helpful, because they contain excerpts from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and also web site addresses for obtaining information about discovery rules for particular states. I think this book would be a tremendous asset for parties to a lawsuit, people who represent themselves in court, and even lawyers who need to refresh themselves on the many aspects of depositions. However, because the book is so thorough, I will still recommend people check out Virginia Lathan's book. Her simple-and-concise book reminds me of "Cliff Notes," those handy little pamphlets that highlight key points and make it easier to navigate your way through the voluminous writings of complete texts. For that reason, I suggest that you consider purchasing both books, because when thy're used in unison, you'll have all the reference books you need to help you give a winning deposition. As a matter of fact, in one of his other books, "Represent Yourself in Court" (2nd edition), Paul Bergman highly praised Virginia Lathan's "Deposition Handbook."

As typical from Nolo press writers, this is a very effective book well structured and with useful materials. The framework given is very practical and applicable. I strongly recommend for anyone involved in a deposition. Just to give the proof, it helped me to face 3 days of deposition by a nasty attorney as under handed as you can get....I survived it.Thanks to the authors and in all cases, be prepared !

Depositions are part of the arcane ritual of American litigation. I was recently deposed (as an expert witness) and found the book full of practical information. I can recommend it to anyone unfamiliar with the process.