Deposition Exhibit Handling Considerations

-Jeffrey Koller, Hutchings General Counsel, Client Services

Here are a few things to consider:

· The identifying and marking of exhibits by the reporter at the request of counsel

· Keeping track of the complete exhibit (all of the pages)

· Differentiating between the exhibit marked to the deposition and other copies of the same that might be present on the conference table

· Producing additional copies of the exhibits for attending counsel and/or the witness

Videoconferencing: Making It All Happen – No Matter Where You Are

-Martha Hutchings, Hutchings Court Reporters

I was just talking to one of our reporters about an exciting assignment she was on via videoconference. What a great use of technology to make it all happen - no matter where you are!

• Multiple telephonic participants
• Streaming realtime text over the Internet to parties
• Counsel present with the reporter locally receiving realtime feed onsite
• The deponent was located in the Middle East

Privacy Concerns - Reporter's Handling of Confidential Information

-Jeff Koller, Hutchings General Counsel, Client Services

Have you ever considered and anticipated how the court reporter is supposed to handle confidential testimony and/or documents, particularly in light of privacy concerns?

· Is there a protective order applicable to the request? Is it being attached to the deposition?

· Have counsel stipulated as to which testimony and/or exhibits are to be treated as confidential?

· Is this stipulation in writing and made part of the transcript or simply put on the record either prior to, during or at the conclusion of the proceeding?

· If there is no stipulation, then counsel should state their objection as to whether or not the testimony or documents at issue are confidential and consider suspending the deposition to obtain a protective order and/or a clarification of the existing order.

Trying Your Case On a Budget - Webinar June 14, 2011 12 PST

- Jeffrey Koller - Hutchings General Counsel, Client Services

The cost to litigate cases continues to climb, and even steeper when you take them to bench or jury trial. On June 14, 1011, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego will offer a webinar presenting trial strategies and procedures that will help you successfully try your case while on a budget.  CASD offers ongoing programs on a variety of notable and practice oriented topics as well.

Coupled with what will be offered in this upcoming seminar, keep in mind the time and cost efficiences to be gained by working closely with your court reporting agency during the depostion/discovery stage.

First of all, are you aware that you can obtain online transcripts as well as deposition exhibits which can be viewed, searched, printed and then incorporated into a variety of trial presentation and related litigation software?  For example, CaseViewNet offers a free realtime viewer and transcript review program. Yes, "free." This program will easily reduce the time it takes to prepare your deposition summaries even providing you a method to draw out testimony by specific issues (i.e. impeachment, background, education, injury, etc.), as well as provide a user-friendly method to receive a realtime feed from the reporter.

Apple iPhone App Features U.S. District Court System

Alexandria, Va., June 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/

Intellectual property law firm Oblon, Spivak, McClelland, Maier &Neustadt, L.L.P., has launched an Apple iPhone application that features the U.S. district court system and offers many resources to assist and inform the firm's clients about current IP news and court decisions.

The iPhone app, "Oblon, Spivak's Guide to the U.S. District Courts" available as a free download on the iTunes application store, features interactive maps of the U.S. district court system and information on individual courts. It includes a national map and separate maps of each of the 11 U.S. court circuits, as well as state-level maps and district-level maps. Users can select a U.S. court circuit, view a map of that circuit, select a specific state and see all the U.S. district courts in that state. Selecting a specific court then provides details of that court, including its physical address, phone numbers, website address and judges and clerks. A similar resource can be found here on the firm's website.

Free Webinar: Why Lawyers Cannot Afford to Ignore Technology - June 16, 2011

Judges Panel: Why Lawyers CANNOT Afford to Ignore Technology – CLE Eligible*

Online:
June 16, 2011
1:30 – 2:30 pm ET
at Virtual LegalTech

Important White Paper Release: Secure Delivery of Transcripts Using Wireless and Internet

White Paper Released by NCRA's Wireless Task Force. 
The Wireless Task Force is pleased to announce that its white paper, titled The Secure Delivery of Transcripts Using Wireless and Internet-Based Realtime Methods, has been officially completed.
  
"This white paper is going to become the benchmark to judges, court administrators, IT professionals, and litigants, demonstrating that wireless and Bluetooth realtime are 100 percent secure," said Wireless Task Force Chair SueLynn Morgan. "We have found that the majority of federal and state courts have not yet broached the issue, and the task force wanted to be proactive and provide some certainty to the multitude of court reporters who provide a much-needed service in their courtrooms on a daily basis."