{"id":903281,"date":"2024-09-11T14:59:49","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T20:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/?p=903281"},"modified":"2024-09-11T14:59:54","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T20:59:54","slug":"depositions-should-paralegals-participate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/depositions-should-paralegals-participate\/","title":{"rendered":"Should Paralegals Participate in Depositions?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esquiresolutions.com\/should-paralegals-participate-in-depositions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Esquire Deposition Solutions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct recently considered an interesting issue related to deposition practice: whether or not nonlawyers such as paralegals can ethically participate in pretrial depositions. The board decided in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ohioadvop.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Adv.Op_.-2022-13-Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Taking of a Deposition by a Paralegal or Out-of-State Lawyer<\/a>\u00a0(Ohio Board of Professional Conduct, No.\u00a02022-13) that they may not \u2026 under any circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During a deposition, litigators are called upon to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>identify legally relevant facts that will be used to shape trial strategy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>elicit testimony from witnesses that supports (or refutes) a legal cause of action<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>advise witnesses on legal issues relating to their testimony<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ask follow-up questions that rely on legal analysis of a witness\u2019s prior testimony<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>make assessments of witness credibility with the judge or jury<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>predict settlement value or potential legal exposure based on witness testimony<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These are all legal skills that cannot ethically be delegated to a paralegal, the board concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Depositions: The Most Important Discovery Tool<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/deposition-four-types\/\">Depositions<\/a> are widely considered the most important pretrial discovery tool available to litigators, and, according to one court, the \u201cfactual battleground where the vast majority of litigation actually takes place.\u201d\u00a0<em>Hall v. Clifton Precision<\/em>, 150 F.R.D. 525, 531 (E.D. Pa. 1993).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a deposition, litigators learn in advance of trial what testimony will be given by the deposition witness. Having an opportunity to observe the witness also gives litigators insight into whether the witness will be believable to the factfinder if the case is tried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a deposition, litigators are often called upon to ask appropriate follow-up questions that rely on a legal analysis of a witness\u2019s answer. When defending a deposition, litigators listen to determine whether opposing counsel is attempting to elicit inappropriate information and, if so, make legal objections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Litigators also use depositions to assess the performance of opposing counsel. In&nbsp;<em>Soliz v. State<\/em>, 97 S.W.3d 137 (Texas Ct. Crim. App. 2003), the court remarked:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When evaluating the strength of their client\u2019s case, litigators often accord great weight to witnesses\u2019 and attorneys\u2019 performances during depositions. Thus, if an attorney\u2019s client performs well while the opponent performs poorly, the attorney may attach a higher settlement value to the case. \u2026 Depositions are a dress rehearsal \u2014 and due to high settlement rates are often a substitute \u2014 for trial. Therefore, attorneys tend to attach more importance to depositions than to most paper discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Florida appellate court, in&nbsp;<em>State v. Foster<\/em>, 674 So.2d 747 (Fla.App. 1996), commented that \u201cwithout a doubt, the process of directly examining or cross-examining a witness can affect important rights under the law.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Litigators rely on their legal training and skills to question witnesses effectively. Also, depositions often present ethical questions or raise strategic considerations of the utmost importance in contested litigation. According to&nbsp;<em>Foster<\/em>, a nonlawyer \u201ccannot be expected to have the requisite training and experience to devise a coherent theory of the case, to object to potentially damaging testimony on the record, or to cross-examine effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<em>Foster<\/em>&nbsp;court concluded that the active participation of a nonlawyer in a deposition constituted the unauthorized practice of law.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.esquiresolutions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/3-7-23-Updated-PullQuote-format-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9524\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Ohio ethics board found these cases persuasive on the critical role that lawyers play in pretrial depositions. In Ohio, it said, lawyers cannot ethically delegate the responsibility of taking or defending a deposition to a paralegal. \u201cA lawyer who instructs a paralegal to take a deposition, prepares deposition questions for a paralegal to use, supervises a paralegal in taking a deposition, or instructs a paralegal to represent a deponent at a deposition is assisting in the unauthorized practice of law,\u201d the board ruled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ohio courts have twice previously considered the lawful deposition roles of individuals not admitted to law practice. In&nbsp;<em>Mahoning Cty. Bar Assn v. Rector<\/em>, 608 N.E.2d 866 (1992), the court ruled that a corporate officer engaged in the unauthorized practice of law when he objected to questions asked of deponents by opposing counsel and instructed a deponent not to answer a question. And in&nbsp;<em>Disciplinary Counsel v. Brown<\/em>, 99 Ohio St.3d 114 (2003), a court ruled that a disbarred attorney engaged in the unauthorized practice of law when he participated in pretrial conferences and depositions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Paralegals Can Attend Depositions for Limited Purposes<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The board\u2019s ethical opinion doesn\u2019t mean that paralegals cannot attend depositions. In fact, paralegals frequently attend depositions in situations in which an attorney decides that the witness is not likely to offer important testimony. Typically, these are cases with numerous parties \u2014 and attorneys \u2014 on both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The paralegal\u2019s ethics code advises that, in cases where a paralegal is&nbsp;<em>attending the deposition as an observer<\/em>, the paralegal should inform everyone at the deposition that she or he is an observer only and will not be asking questions or representing any party to the litigation. While serving in the role of an observer, the paralegal will also not make objections or enter into agreements or stipulations on behalf of his or her firm or anyone represented by the firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because conducting and defending depositions calls for a level of legal knowledge and legal judgment few paralegals possess, it\u2019s clear that depositions would rarely promote justice<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esquiresolutions.com\/eight-ethical-pitfalls-to-avoid-at-your-next-deposition\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">\u00a0unless all participants complied with norms of professional ethics<\/a>. The lawyer\u2019s ethical obligations to refrain from I ntentionally eliciting false testimony, to correct false testimony when given, to refrain from giving verbal cues to the deponent and to refrain from harassing the deponent \u2013 all of these ethical obligations are vital to ensuring that depositions efficiently and fairly advance the cause of justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In fact, so important is the lawyer\u2019s role at a deposition that one court recently ruled that<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esquiresolutions.com\/north-carolina-appellate-court-says-civil-litigants-have-constitutional-right-to-the-physical-presence-of-counsel-during-depositions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">\u00a0civil litigants have a constitutional right<\/a>\u00a0to the presence of their lawyer during a deposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lawyers invite discipline if, through lack of adequate supervision, their paralegals engage in the unauthorized practice of law.<a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/groups\/professional_responsibility\/publications\/model_rules_of_professional_conduct\/rule_5_3_responsibilities_regarding_nonlawyer_assistant\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">\u00a0ABA Model Rule 5.3<\/a>\u00a0requires lawyers to make reasonable efforts to ensure that nonlawyers in their firm do not violate ethical standards. Specifically, the ABA has cautioned attorneys that<a href=\"https:\/\/www.americanbar.org\/news\/abanews\/publications\/youraba\/2017\/november-2017\/ensure-your-paralegals-ethics-align-with-yours-\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">\u00a0paralegals may not participate in depositions<\/a>\u00a0or engage in any conduct that might leave the impression with the client or court that the paralegal is licensed to practice law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When one of your cases is in need of a construction expert, estimates, insurance appraisal or umpire services in defect or insurance disputes &#8211; please call Advise &amp; Consult, Inc. at 888.684.8305, or email <a href=\"mailto:experts@adviseandconsult.net\">experts@adviseandconsult.net<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Esquire Deposition Solutions The Ohio Board of Professional Conduct recently considered an interesting issue related to deposition practice: whether or not nonlawyers such as paralegals can ethically participate in pretrial depositions. The board decided in\u00a0Taking of a Deposition by a Paralegal or Out-of-State Lawyer\u00a0(Ohio Board of Professional Conduct, No.\u00a02022-13) that they may not \u2026 under&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.myconstructionexpert.com\/blog\/depositions-should-paralegals-participate\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Should Paralegals Participate in Depositions?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[172],"tags":[9895,27,474],"class_list":["post-903281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-construction-law-2","tag-advise-consult","tag-construction-law","tag-deposition","entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Should Paralegals Participate in Depositions? 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