Robert Musante – GREAT Adverse Depositions: Principles & Principal Technique

Taking high-quality adverse depositions is the most important teachable litigation skill. Taking a high-quality adverse deposition requires the conscientious application of an integrated set of logical cross-examination rules, the very set of rules that law schools should have offered to their students in a full-semester course, and litigation law firms should have taught their newbies (and their partners) … but never, ever did!  Thus, mediocre adverse depositions abound, while high-quality ones are a rarity. This program wastes no time on entry-level wisdom, code chatter, idiosyncratic war stories, or tired maxims. This program teaches how to take adverse depositions the right way: as an intellectually rigorous discipline. (Note: This is a 120-minute version of a customary 690-minute program; thus, choices had to be made re what to include/omit.)

            • Civil Litigation §101: Best Case Theory

            • “Battleships”: the indispensable checklist of recurring Q&A

            • Four nearly-everybody-agrees deposition rules

            • The “Grand Unified Theory” of deposition cross-examination

            • Discovery depositions vs. evidentiary depositions

            • When to save impeachment for trial and when to use in deposition

            • “Whack!” defined & demonstrated in a high-profile cross-examination

            • When to ask leading questions in deposition

            • Seven crucial advantages: deposition cross-examiner vs. trial cross-examiner