Telephonic Deposition Soars in 2009 as Firms Seek Savings

PohlmanUSA Court Reporting says the use of telephonic depositions by law firms skyrocketed in 2009.

The trend reflects the impact that the recession has had on law firms, heightening the efforts of legal practitioners to deliver quality services quickly at the lowest cost possible. With attorney headcount in the U.S. declining four percent between 2008 and 2009 according to the 32nd annual survey by the National Law Journal, telephonic depositions are one way to enhance value.

Litigators and case participants use the technology set-up to “attend” an out-of-town deposition via a telephone conference call rather than face-to-face. This deposition technology generates significant savings by eliminating travel time and associated expenses including transportation, lodging and food. PohlmanUSA provides the service on a turn-key basis. It secures properly equipped conference space, schedules the deposition and invoices participants for facility use, further streamlining internal administration for its law clients.

“While nothing substitutes a live deposition appearance, advanced conferencing capabilities are the next best thing when traveling is not practical or economical,” says Patrick Stufflebeam, associate of HeplerBroom LLC. “Saving our clients money is always appreciated, and the availability of telephonic deposition services has expanded our capacity to fully participate in depositions at a greatly reduced cost.”