When you’re setting up, leading or are a witness in a remote deposition, having an idea of what’s expected of you makes the proceedings go smoothly. At Bartelt | Nix Reporting, LLC, we have years of experience conducting remote depositions. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, many attorneys, clients and witnesses are now becoming much more familiar with remote depositions, allowing their cases to move along while the rest of the world is on hold.

Remote deposition checklist

We’ve curated a remote deposition checklist in Phoenix, AZ that will help you perform each task that needs to be done, whether you’re the court reporter, attorney or witness:

• Check your technology and bandwidth: Make sure your technology, whether it’s a handheld device, a laptop or a computer, can run the program your deposition will use. Then go to a website like speedtest.net to make sure your upload and download speeds meet or exceed the parameters for the software. Ensure that your video and microphone are both working.
• Find an appropriate place: No matter your role in the remote deposition, you need a place where you won’t be interrupted, your connection is strong and you don’t have distracting items or messes in the background. Blank walls are particularly good for remote depositions.
• Check the lighting: You should sit in front of a window or lamp so the other participants can clearly see your face. If the light sources are behind you, your image will be backlit.
• Disable notifications and alerts: During the deposition, your phone and tablets should be silent. Disabling notifications ensures that you won’t be distracted during the proceedings.
• Attend or set up a technology test call: Either the court reporter or one of the attorneys should set up a call to test the participants’ technology. Usually, everyone agrees on a time to do a trial run and make sure sound and video are working properly. This helps the actual deposition go smoothly. If there are issues, you may be able to use your phone to call in.
• Speak clearly and into the microphone: When you’re at the actual deposition, make sure that you speak slowly, clearly and directly into your microphone. Since lags happen during video conferences, make sure to let others stop talking before you begin.

Special tasks

These tasks depend on what role you’re playing in the proceedings:

• Witness: Have your driver’s license or any other necessary identification documents available.
• Attorney: Send all participants’ email addresses and exhibits to the court reporter ahead of time.
• Court reporter: Send email invitations to each participant. Set up a technology test run, if the attorneys haven’t taken over. Upload all exhibits ahead of time. At the remote deposition, administer the oath, check identification and get agreement from all parties that this deposition is to be conducted remotely.

We hope this remote deposition checklist is helpful! When you need skilled remote court reporters in Phoenix, AZ, be sure to set up an appointment with Bartelt | Nix Reporting, LLC today. We look forward to assisting you!