Deposition Timeline

Answer:

The length of depositions vary depending on the jurisdiction or the court that the deposition is being held under. There are rules that determine the limits on the length of deposition. For example, in Arizona, generally you’ve got four hours for a deposition of a particular person and actually have a limited number of hours for all of the depositions in a case. It’s different between probate court, criminal court, civil court. Federal court has a different set of rules and different standards regarding depositions. Sometimes those lengths of depositions and amount of depositions that can be done can be altered upon motion to the court. The judge can allow more time or less time, so you want to talk to your attorney about the length of your deposition and how long they will be. You really have to prepare for these things because they can go on for hours and hours and hours. We just had a deposition the other day that started at 11 and didn’t finish until 5 o’clock in the evening – no lunch break, maybe a few ten-minute breaks in there. They’re jogging your memory or asking questions. It can be a real act of drudgery, so you want to prepare yourself. Get a good night’s sleep the night before, eat a good breakfast, and make sure you’ve taken whatever medications you need to take, as long as it doesn’t impair your memory or your ability to recall the facts. Prepare for a long day because generally these depositions take three to four hours. Your lawyer will not let the opposing and deposing lawyer carry on beyond. Once the information is out and the facts are out, they’re not going to let the opposing deposing lawyer badger you or keep you there unnecessarily. Your lawyer will speak up on your behalf. Generally, you’re looking at, in Arizona, broadly around four hours is the amount of time that they have for a deposition. Will they use it all? It depends on how much is involved in the case. Talk to your lawyer. Your lawyer will know based on the laws how much time the other attorney has to depose you.