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First Deposition as an Expert?

Two women shaking hands

Mary Flanagan, BSN, RN, CNOR, LNCC wrote an article in the Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting titled “Deposition 101: Tips for success” (JLNC, 2020).  This is a great place to start for resources and tips on testifying at a deposition.

What is a deposition?

A deposition is testimony given by an expert out of court, before a trial, under oath that is recorded by a court reporter.  It is a pre-trial discovery set up by an attorney to collect information from a witness or an expert intended to be called to trial (Legal Distortionary, 2021).

The highlight points from the article include:

  • Be succinct – answer concisely
  • Be prepared – know your case
  • Stay in your sandbox – don’t take on cases that are outside your area of expertise
  • Behaviours to avoid like getting angry or guessing or speculating
  • Do develop behaviours like being truthful and focussed on each question
  • What to bring
  • What to wear

Check out the journal article here to read it in full to help you prepare for your deposition and good luck!

References

Flanagan, M. (2020). Deposition 101: Tips for Success. The Journal of Legal Nurse Consulting, 31(2), 18-21. https://view.flipdocs.com/?ID=10004296_332282

Hill, G., Hill, K. (2021). Legal Dictionary. Retrieved from https://dictionary.law.com/default.aspx?selected=495

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