10,000 Depositions Later: The Premier Litigation Guide for Superior Deposition Practice

Book Synopsis: From Jim Garrity, the country’s leading expert and strategist on taking and defending depositions in civil, criminal, administrative, and arbitrative proceedings, comes this blockbuster 4th Edition on world-class deposition strategies and tactics. This newest, transformative version of the groundbreaking reference manual and practice guidebook is a must-read for anyone looking to stay ahead of the curve in the planning, taking and defense of depositions. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, this book will give you the tools you need to become a world-class performer.

Every chapter from the 3rd Edition has been revised and updated. Entirely new chapters have been added, as well as dozens of new subsections. The 4th Edition also includes 900+ new citations to deposition-specific court rulings, the majority of which were issued since the 3rd Edition was published. And new insights and strategies have been included to address recent rule changes and practice adaptations, such as the increased reliance on (and solutions needed for) live remote video depositions. There is no other resource on the market that even comes close to providing you, the active litigator, with the tools to prevail, and the guidance is heavily backed by citations to leading authorities and actual court decisions.

Why do you need this invaluable “user’s manual” to depositions? Because it’s in depositions where you win or lose. Almost no witnesses testify again after their deposition. Study after study shows that less than 5% of all contested legal proceedings wind up in a final hearing or trial. This means that witnesses will only testify once in your proceedings, and that will be in their depositions. So, depositions are, in a real way, the actual trial in more than 95% of all contested proceedings. Depositions are where the most critical evidence is developed. All negotiations to resolve cases of any kind - and subsequent dispositive motion practice if negotiations fail - depend heavily on witness testimony from depositions. That’s what lawyers quote to opponents when arguing their case. It’s what clients, adjusters, mediators, judges, hearing officers, and arbitrators rely on as well. And, in the rare cases that proceeding to final hearing or trial, it’s deposition testimony that gets used to impeach witnesses (or to replace their testimony entirely, if they’re unavailable).

Thus, litigators with exceptional, world-class deposition skills have a huge advantage, in every way.

Jim Garrity, the author, has appeared as lead trial counsel in more than two thousand federal and state civil cases and continues to actively practice in a high-volume, multistate, litigation firm. Every tactic and strategy in this book has been tested over and over, and fine-tuned as needed. There are no war stories or wasted words in this practice guide. It is a cover-to-cover field guide to taking and defending depositions, overflowing with insight and analysis on every step of the process. Garrity’s personal deposition experience now far exceeds the 10,000 mentioned in the title, but for business reasons, his publisher did not want him to update the series’ numerical reference. He’s been up against the best litigators at hundreds of firms, from the nation’s largest to sole practitioners, and there’s literally no tactic, trick, variation, or strategy he hasn’t seen hundreds of times. Indeed, one federal judge, commenting in open court, observed that Garrity “has pulled multiple rabbits out of multiple hats,” meaning he wins cases against inconceivable odds. How? Because of his extraordinary deposition skills.

Depositions are the decisive factor in nearly all settlements and trials. You cannot achieve excellent outcomes if you cannot prevail in your depositions. Get your copy today and unlock the secrets to true best-in-class deposition skills.