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Register for this course
Who should attend: The litigator — associate or partner — who does
not yet take great adverse depositions, but wants to. And soon.
COURSE OVERVIEW
Learn the Logic and Means to Great Adverse Depositions
Unlike any other deposition seminar you may have attended, this seminar wastes
no time on entry-level "wisdom," code chatter, idiosyncratic war stories, or
tired maxims. Instead, Robert Musante cuts right to the chase and teaches you
how to take great adverse depositions — every time.
More than any other aspect of pretrial litigation, it is the skill the attorney
wields when taking the deposition of the adverse "fact" and expert witnesses
that most dramatically impacts case outcome, whether by settlement or by trial.
Valuable for Even the Most Experienced Litigators
As he has with thousands of others, Musante will convince you that the discipline
of deposition cross-examination must use an integrated set of logical rules.
He will show you that the conscious and conscientious application of these rules
will best exploit case theory opportunities and best attack case theory problems.
No law school and few, if any, law firms recognize that taking a deposition
is indeed an intellectually rigorous discipline — if done right. Sadly,
the vast majority of litigators practice for an entire career without truly
understanding this crucial syllogism: Trial is argument. Deposition is trial.
Thus, deposition is argument.
COURSE SCHEDULE
| 8:00 |
Registration |
| 8:30 |
Session I
• Deposition cross-examination: an intellectually rigorous discipline
• Battleships: the checklist of recurring deposition questions for
recurring issues
• Four nearly-everybody-agrees deposition cross-examination rules
• Grand Unified Theory of civil litigation
• Rationale for saving attacks for surprise at trial
• Whack! Defined and demonstrated
• Seven advantages: deposition cross-examiner vs. trial cross-examiner
• A famous cross-examination analyzed |
| 10:00 |
Break |
| 10:10 |
Session II
• Introduction of The Magnificent Seven
• When to ask leading questions in deposition
• Exceptions to the leading-question rule
• When the truth is not nearly enough
• Bluffing deponent into an admission
• Deponent's escapes from answers to leading questions
• Using rhetoric to intensify arguments
• A second famous cross-examination analyzed |
| 11:20 |
Break |
| 11:30 |
Session III
• Reasoning questions
• Firewalling introduced
• Interrogatory-like questions
• Universal terms
• A third famous cross-examination analyzed
• Enumeration |
| 12:30 |
Lunch (provided at live programs only) |
| 1:30 |
Session IV
• Looping
• Identifying a mediocre deposition in only 60 seconds
• Making the implied express: using lexicography
• Making the implied express: using logic
• The transfer-of-information rule and the most common dumb deposition
question
• Making the implied limits of adverse deponent's "frail" memory express
• A fourth famous cross-examination analyzed |
| 2:50 |
Break |
| 3:00 |
Session V
- Attacking
"crap"
- The
narrow question
- Question-dodging
- 2 answers
in 1 question
- The
needle-in-the-haystack answer
- More on
the sacred orthodoxy of saving attacks for surprise at trial
- Seventeen
potential escapes from cross-examiner's deception argument
- Conducting
interviews vs. taking great adverse depositions
- Coda
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| 4:30 |
Adjourn |
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Robert Musante is the country's foremost teacher of deposition cross-examination
skills. A 1978 graduate of the University of California, Boalt Hall Law School,
he tried jury trials for 23 years, first as a prosecutor, then as a civil attorney.
In addition, he taught trial practice at Boalt Hall for 16 years, 1984 through
1999. In 1993, he created the first of several killerdepo seminars. Since then,
to great acclaim (see thousands of rave reviews at www.killerdepo.com),
he has taught more than 35,000 litigators the discipline of deposition cross-examination.
More than 120 law firms, offices of state attorneys general, or bar groups, in
41 states, have sponsored one or more of his seminars.
Here is what other Virginia lawyers say about Musante's seminars:
"A killer seminar, a must for trial lawyers of every level of experience."
"Superb seminar! Superb speaker! Seminar among the elite in quality and value.
My adverse depositions will improve at least 100%."
"Dynamic speaker. Technique very good for pinning down witnesses."
"Highly rated seminar. Excellent. Great speaker."
"Extremely useful seminar. Excellent speaker … lively, engaging, and informative.
Seminar is as good as any … better than most. Will significantly improve the quality
of my adverse depositions."
"What a great seminar … fun, interesting, and informative."
"Very useful in thinking about depositions where settlement is the objective/likely
result. Exceptionally good use of Powerpoints. Seminar better than any other presentation
I have attended on this topic."
"A valuable checklist, plan of attack, review of the elements required for a successful
deposition of an adverse witness. Excellent speaker, engaging and informative."
"Far better than other full-day litigation seminars: interesting, informative
and holds your attention. Will significantly improve the quality of my adverse
depositions."
LIVE LOCATIONS AND DATES
Richmond / Tuesday, October 5
Crowne Plaza Richmond West
6531 West Broad Street
(804) 285-9951
Fairfax / Wednesday, October 6
Waterford at Fair Oaks
12025 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway
(703) 352-3200
Directions to Seminar
Sites
VIDEO LOCATIONS AND DATE
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15
Abingdon: Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, on the campus of
Virginia Highlands Community College (I-81 exit 14), 1 Partnership Circle (276)
619-4300
Alexandria: Crowne Plaza Old Town (formerly the Radisson Hotel Old Town),
901 North Fairfax Street (703) 683-6000
Charlottesville: The Virginia CLE Building, 105 Whitewood Road (800) 979-8253
Richmond: UVA Richmond Regional Center, 2810 N. Parham Road, Suite 300,
3rd Floor (Parking available only in spots not marked "Visitor Parking")
(804) 662-7464
Roanoke: Roanoke Higher Education Center, 108 North Jefferson Street (540)
767-6161
Tysons Corner: Crowne Plaza Tysons Corner (formerly the Holiday Inn Tysons
Corner), 1960 Chain Bridge Road (entrance to hotel on Greensboro Drive) (703)
893-2100
Virginia Beach: Holiday Inn Executive Center, 5655 Greenwich Road (757)
499-4400
Directions to Seminar Sites
Click here
if you wish to register three or more attorneys from the same firm.
LIVE REGISTRATION FEES
$299.00 regular registration (lunch included).
$224.00 law firm non-attorney staff (lunch included).
$314.00 / $239.00 on-site registration (if space is available) (lunch included).
VIDEO REGISTRATION FEES
$249.00 regular registration (lunch not included).
$187.00 law firm non-attorney staff (lunch not included).
$264.00 / $202.00 on-site registration (if space is available) (lunch not
included).
Cancellation/transfer requests will be honored through 5:00 p.m. of the
DAY BEFORE the seminar.
If you have a disability that requires special accommodation, please contact
Virginia CLE well in advance of the program date.
Private taping of this program is not permitted.
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