The deposition is a question and answer session, one that takes place during the discovery phase of the lawsuit process. The attorney for each side interviews the party from the opposing side. The person being interviewed is called the deponent. The court reporter records the answers given by the deponent.
How to Prepare
If possible, talk with your lawyer about how to use your body talk. You do not want to make an incorrect gesture or other movement. Perhaps you can get taped answering questions. Then you would want to watch your movements on that tape.
Practice establishing good eye contact with the person that is asking you questions. Be sure that you do not glare at the same person. Maybe your Personal Injury Lawyer in Richmond Hill will encourage you to look at a point somewhere between the questioner’s eyes and chin.
Learn not to cross your arms on your chest; that creates an unwanted barrier. Learn too, not to cross you legs or your ankles; that tends to increase the distance between you and the person making the inquiries. Be sure to dress well on the day of the deposition. Also keep the following advice in mind.
Advice to keep in mind, when answering questions:
• Be honest.
• Always speak up.
• Display the attitude of a professional. Do not give casual answers.
• Take your time; you are not expected to give your full answer within a given period of time.
• Demonstrate respect and courtesy.
• If you are not sure of an answer, do not offer a guess.
• Strive for consistency in your answers. Do not say something that contradicts a statement that you made earlier.
• Do not volunteer information. Answer the question that has been posed.
• Do not claim to have suffered a particular injury, when you did not. Do not exaggerate the extent of your injuries.
• On the other hand, do not minimize your injuries.
• You may want to link some of your symptoms with a mentioned injury.
• Do not feel like you are the one that must put all the facts together, in order to explain the development of a given injury. That would be the job of a medical expert.
More on pulling the facts together:
Some conditions, such as a traumatic brain injury develop slowly. The earliest symptoms might be subtle, or they might not be seen as a signal that something is wrong. For example, the victim might develop an occasional headache. Still, people get headaches all the time. You can help doctors put the pieces together my providing a missing piece of the puzzle. Let them know what took place on the day of the accident.