The most common use of video in the legal profession is the video recording of a deposition. It is perhaps the most powerful tool a trial attorney can have at his disposal during discovery and at trial.

If you have ever seen John Grisham's "The Rainmaker" you are familiar with the climatic courtroom scene: the testimony of Donny Ray Black, the young leukemia victim at the center of a lawsuit against Great Benefit, the insurance company that denied his coverage, appears on a courtroom monitor. The jury gasps as they watch the pasty white and rail thin man struggle to talk. Since the taping of the deposition, Donny Ray has succumbed to the disease, but the powerful image the jury is left with as a result of his deposition, becomes a pivotal piece of evidence that ultimately leads to a verdict and massive judgement against the insurance company.

While a video deposition can certainly introduce an element of drama, they are not just for the movies. In actuality, they are used everyday in real courtrooms across the country. All legal video depositions offer more than one great benefit: they save time, they save money, and to provide both a visual image and a voice of witnesses who cannot, for various reasons, appear in court.

Today, video depositions are considered commonplace in today's legal arena. the content and requirements of video depositions are governed by Rule 30 (B) (4) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Prior to being presented to the jury, the deposition is typically edited based on a judge's ruling on objections. We will make a presentation tape from the original, including only allowable testimony.

Video Depositions are the next best thing to a live witness testimony. A written transcript canot show the witness's demeanor,nervousness, or body langauge which can be very telling. Video depositions not only expedite hearings, they can save what would have been spent on the experts time or to fly the expert witness from another part of the country.

The use of video in the courtroom does not stop at video depositions. Additional forms of legal video, including day in the life documentaries, settlement documentaries, mock juries, witness preparation, site inspection, and demonstrative evidence have emerged and become prevalent in most areas of the country.

Contact us for more information or to schedule a deposition.