Guides
Guides for working with deposition transcripts
Short, practical guides for the person who has to cite, summarise and check testimony: a litigation associate, a paralegal, a lawyer working from the PDF the reporter sent. Each one says what a thing is, how it is done, and where it goes wrong.
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Information, not advice. These guides describe common practice. They are not legal advice. Rules differ by jurisdiction, court and judge, and a protective order, scheduling order or local rule can change them. Check what governs your matter.
Citing and summarising
Turning testimony into cites, summaries and record support for a motion.
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Page-line citation format
Write and read cites such as Smith Dep. 45:12–46:3, and where courts and style guides differ.
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Deposition summary formats
Page-line, topical and narrative summaries, and which reader needs which.
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Digest for a motion
Move testimony from a digest into a brief with cites you have checked.
Reading the record
What the reporter delivers, in which form, and what changes between drafts, volumes and signatures.
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Errata sheets
Reading and signing, the usual timing, and what an errata sheet changes.
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Rough draft vs certified
What a rough draft is good for, and why cites must be re-checked against the certified transcript.
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Transcript file formats
What PDF, text, PTX and Markdown copies of a transcript keep, and what each is for.
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Multi-day deposition volumes
Volume numbering, continuous or restarting pagination, and citing across volumes.
Working through a transcript
Finding testimony, tracking exhibits and reading objections on the page.
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Searching a transcript
Find testimony by term, speaker and exhibit, and record every hit as page:line.
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Deposition exhibit index
List each exhibit with where it was marked and discussed, using page:line.
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Objections in transcripts
How form and substance objections and instructions not to answer appear on the page.
Trial and handling
Preparing deposition testimony for trial, and deciding what may go to an outside tool.
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Confidentiality and AI tools
What protective orders, privilege and vendor terms mean before a transcript goes to an outside tool.
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Designations for trial
Page-line designations, objections and counter-designations, and how the ranges are built.
The tools these guides point to
DepoScript converts a transcript PDF to Markdown with the page and line on every line. Start with the converter, or go straight to the page that fits the job: text with line numbers, condensed transcripts and summaries with an AI assistant. The pricing page has the free allowance and the plans.