In my first job, I had a new co-worker Jim that was still trying to figure out the ropes. My boss would ask him a simple question, such as, “Where did you go for lunch Jim?” Although Jim answered truthfully and immediately, my boss would just stare at him, silently. My friend got nervous, and thinking […]

What sort of things should you do when you anticipating facing a difficult witness? Gotcha! That’s a trick question… because nearly every witness you depose or cross examine will be a difficult witness. Your chances of encountering an “easy” witness that the other side presents are probably only slightly better than winning the lottery. After all, […]

Be careful what you wish for. This morning you just learned that you were incredibly persuasive in arguing that the defendants have been delaying your case. The judge has denied the defendant’s motion for protective order, which is great. But at the same time she has ordered that ALL depositions be completed in the next […]

Note: AgileLaw’s Deposition Academy also has a short video lesson on transcript awareness. The single most important output of a deposition (besides a settlement) is the transcript. The transcript is crucial as you’ll use it for summary judgement motions, motions in limiting, and your trial preparation. As such, your strategy when deposing witnesses should include a clear […]

When I was in paralegal school, the teachers and the dean gave the impression that when we graduated we would all be carrying briefcases, working in a high-rise building, wearing suits, going to court and have our own assistant to do our filing and typing. Of course, we also would be earning a lot of […]

If you are a tennis fan then you know Rafael Nadal, a.k.a “Rafa”. For non-tennis fans, Rafa is one of the most dominant professional tennis players ever to play the sport. He is known as “The King of Clay” and has won 14 grand slam singles titles. Some players, including Andre Agassi, have called Rafa […]

I was browsing through Quora recently and stumbled on the following question regarding defending a deposition: “How should a defending attorney prepare for his/her deposition?” Here is a summary of my answer: When defending a deposition, there are 5 things every new attorney should be thinking about: 1. Preparation The most important thing when defending […]

There is no such thing as an organized mess Anyone who tries to convince you that they work better in a messy office is simply avoiding the fact that they are unorganized. When you do not have good organizational systems in place, you create a situation in which clutter, confusion and unproductivity live. Being unorganized […]

I found that during my legal research class for my paralegal degree that the class was split into two separate camps: those that loved legal research and those that hated legal research. I fell somewhere in between the two sides because I did not love legal research but I would never allow my GPA to […]

I heard someone refer to paralegals as “glorified paper-pushers (actually, it was a paralegal who said that). I believe that paralegals who see themselves as “glorified paper-pushers” might be frustrated because they do not have an efficient document management plan. One of the most frustrating things about being a paralegal can be the amount of […]