Depositions & Data Gathering

Many law firms spend days preparing to depose an adversary’s witnesses – often failing to prepare their own witnesses to face the opposing legal team. Tomlinson, Rust, McKinstry & Grable attorneys approach depositions from both an offensive and defensive standpoint to ensure that your strategy is successful.

Preparation for Cross-Examination (Offensive):

• Our attorneys have clear goals for each witness being deposed (i.e., to gather information, to perpetuate trial testimony, to obtain or defeat a summary judgment or pre-trial motion, etc.)
• We understand how to “seal off exits” to minimize the introduction of surprising or contradictory testimony during the trial itself
• We do not let witnesses bog the deposition down in minutiae – we understand how to depose hostile or evasive witnesses

Witness Preparation (Defensive):

• Our attorneys prepare your witnesses early and often
• The order in which we present your witnesses reveals strengths and weaknesses in the adversary’s case
• We use scheduling to our advantage whenever possible
• We protect your witnesses, keeping them well-informed during the deposition and insisting on frequent breaks