Deposition Preparation Tips for Homeowners and Property Managers
Deposition Preparation Tips for Homeowners and Property Managers
At the Naumann Law Firm, we strive to deliver high-quality legal services. The cornerstone of our service is to maintain regular and ongoing communication with clients. One of those services is to prepare our clients before their deposition so they are comfortable and ready when the deposition occurs.
Disclaimer: this article is NOT legal advice – we want to share some tips when for preparing for testimony at a deposition.
What is a civil deposition? A deposition is when a person gives a sworn, out of court testimony under oath, in front of opposing counsel and a court reporter, who records the deposition in a transcript. The purpose of the deposition is to gather information from the witness and preserving their version of events on the record. The depositions allow parties to gather additional and critical information before the trial. Certain information can be proven wrong or right during a deposition.
You can never be too prepared for a deposition. We help build confidence in homeowners and property managers going into their depositions.
Some basic deposition prep tips:
- Carefully consider each question, and if you do not understand a question, ask for it to be repeated or reworded.
- Take time to think of an answer before responding. Formulate your answer before your start talking.
- Only answer the question asked. Do not volunteer information.
- Be patient.
- Do not be afraid to say, “I don’t know” or “I don’t remember at this time.” Do not guess or speculate.
- Examine all documents shown to you. Fully read documents shown to you before addressing/answering any question about them.
- Be accurate and precise. Do not answer falsely because something sounds better or more plausible.
- Promptly correct mistakes.
- Consult with your attorney during a break.
- Take a break when needed.
- Take control of the deposition and ask for breaks, rewordings, documents, when needed.
- Do not consult with outside sources other than your attorney.
- During the deposition, avoid displays or anger or frustration, defensiveness or combativeness. Try to remain as calm and poised as possible.
- Always follow your lawyer’s advice at a deposition.
- Remember, opposing counsel is the enemy, no matter how friendly they may act.
- During your deposition prep with your lawyer, ask any questions or concerns you have pertaining to your testimony or case. Be frank with your lawyer.
We look forward to helping prepare our clients for their depositions. Let our team help represent you for a construction defect case. If you need more information on construction defects, visit our construction defect litigation page.
Please CLICK HERE for a FREE memorandum with additional deposition guidelines and tips.
If you are a property manager, homeowner, HOA board member, business owner or commercial property owner seeking representation in construction defect litigation, our team at The Naumann Law Firm can help. We have more than 35 years of experience handling significant construction cases with complex issues. Call us to set up a free consultation.
To contact us, call 844-492-7474 or visit our San Diego construction defect contact page.
We also do Los Angeles construction defect litigation, Orange County construction defect litigation, Riverside construction defect litigation, and San Bernardino construction defect litigation.