Deposition Digest Deposition Digest, an affiliate of Virtual Independent Paralegals, LLC, concentrates on providing the highest quality testimonial digesting from any source: depositions, interviews, trial transcripts, and etcetera. Deposition Digest has digested transcripts for cases of all types in many jurisdictions. Whether you are a solo practitioner or small firm, medium to large size firm, or corporate legal department, Deposition Digest has the experience and resources necessary to undertake your most challenging projects. Our turnaround time and rates are a fraction of our competitors and our thoroughness unrivaled.   What is a deposition digest? Simply stated, a deposition digest is a document that reduces the testimony of a witness to its admissions.   Why are deposition digests necessary? Digests not only save attorneys time by reducing the testimony to its admissions, they allow attorneys to compare and contrast testimony in cases where the witness has testified multiple times. This is particularly true with expert witnesses, who have often testified numerous times in a variety of matters. Deposition digests also help attorneys prepare for direct and cross-examination of witnesses by reducing the testimony of a witness to its admissions.   Deposition Digests v. Deposition Summaries Don’t be fooled into thinking that there is no difference between a testimonial summary and a digest.  A summary simply outlines the highlights and main categories of any given testimony, whereas a digest comprehensively extracts all elicited testimony from a given witness.  This distinction can make quite a difference when preparing for trial.  Summaries require you to go back to the transcript and find the testimony, which is time consuming.  A digest can be read in its entirety and contains all the admissions elicited from the witness. Because a summary summarizes testimony it requires some level of judgment on the part of the summarizer.  A digest, on the other hand, requires no judgment calls on behalf of the digester because all of the admissions by the witness are extracted and unchanged. The testimony is not synopsized as it is ultimately up to the attorney to decide which facts are salient in the case. By not omitting testimony the attorney is not restricted or required to waste time looking for omitted testimony.  Additionally, a digest records all exhibits, objections, requests for production, stipulations and other exchanges between counsel for easy reference and follow up.   How long does it take to do a deposition digests? Digests take longer to complete than summaries but are well worth the expense because they reduce the testimony to its admissions and do not omit anything. Deposition Digests are often cost ineffective for in-house staff because of the time and attention needed to perform them. In-house staff often have distractions and time constraints that limit their ability to perform deposition digesting effectively. Being virtual affords VIP the time and attention necessary to perform deposition digests accurately and efficiently. So when you consider the fact that the additional cost of a digest compared to a summary is offset by the comprehensiveness and quality of a deposition digest, why would you settle for anything less?   Is there specialty software that can automatically digest a deposition? Again, don't be fooled. While there are software programs out there that claim to perform deposition digests, none do an adequate job. This is because proper deposition digesting requires the witnesses' testimony to be reduced to admissions. Computerized software only eliminates the white space in a transcript, but does not reword the testimony to a concise, readable, stand-alone format.   If a deposition summary is needed instead of a digest, would one be possible? Of course! We are highly experienced producing deposition summaries as we are producing deposition digests, and are more than happy to accommodate your needs. We have many clients who are more comfortable working from a summary than a digest.     Why trust Virtual Independent Paralegals for all your deposition digesting and deposition summaries? Customized per the attorneys' specifications or input Highest quality testimonial digesting and summarizing from all testimonial sources Reduces the testimony of a witness to its admissions Records all exhibits, objections, requests for production, stipulations and other exchanges between counsel for easy reference and follow up Includes an "edits" column to ensure correction of errors in the testimony 24/7/365 at no additional cost helps bridge the gap of a 40 hour workweek Established protocols and robust quality assurance review process Conflicts of interest database check Results and satisfaction guaranteed: A Work Done Now!™ philosophy built on the foundation of no excuses, no apologies Strict confidentiality, security measures and technology safeguards to ensure data protection Non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements Fully licensed & insured including a comprehensive Errors & Omissions policy that covers each project up to $1 million Unrivaled turnaround time and reasonable rates that contain no overhead or administrative costs Real-time, open communication allows for immediate course correction Whether hundreds, thousands or millions of pages of documents, no size is too great or too small       Virtual Independent Paralegals and its affiliates are independent contractors. We work exclusively with lawyers, law firms, in-house counsel and corporations. We are not licensed attorneys and do not practice law or give legal advice.