More and more law professionals and law firms turn to professional depo summaries service providers to get quality depo summaries, save time, and get better prepared for cases.
Depo summary services can be an incredible resource, provided you know strictly what to look for in a quality summary.
If you outsource your depo summaries to an expert provider, you would likely get your money’s worth. However, to ensure that you get all the benefits you can, you need to understand the characteristic properties of an excellent depo summary.
The Process of Creating a Good Depo Summary
The entire process of creating a good depo summary involves various steps. Initially, the whole deposition must be read and analyzed thoroughly, emphasizing the questions from the attorney and the responses provided by the witness.
Usually, the entire transcript is then annotated to highlight the main points for inclusion in the summary. Then the deposition is summarized, generally using a chart format with relevant columns. The structure can be like an outline or as a narrative.
How to Spot a Quality Depo Summary
Here are a few things to look out for in a quality depo summary:
Background work – A good depo summary takes into account all the background of a case. This means going through the relevant pleadings, the supporting facts, and the allegations at play. It is also essential to remain clear about which statement is attributed to the plaintiff and which to the defendant.
Priority Information – A depo summary needs to be concise and to the point, which means prioritizing the right information to a great extent. There should be no irrelevant or useless information in a summary, and the key points should be summarized in a way that is easy to understand and process.
Important Details – While unhelpful or non-essential details need to be left out, a quality depo summary needs to include and focus on all the necessary details of a deposition.
It is important to have context behind statements and exercising a kind of practiced discretion in deciding which elements would go on to be truly important for the case.
Presentation – Depo summaries need to make impact. This is why quality depo summaries are presented well. Summaries that are easy to read, properly categorized and arranged, attractive, and eye-catching can be easier to process.
The Right Way
Keeping these points in mind, you should be able to tell a quality depo summary from one that still needs work. These details can also help you find the right company you can outsource your depo summaries to.
