The world has gone remote. Law firms have moved from requiring their staff to work in office to allowing them to work from home. From schools requiring every student to be physically in their seats to not even giving them snow days because they can do remote learning. With that being said, it’s only natural that the Courts and legal proceedings would follow suit. 

Receiving a hearing notice is now like receiving a double surprise. Once you open it, you will see whether it will be a virtual hearing or an in-person hearing. Depositions are the same. If both counsel agree to a virtual deposition, now we as paralegals, must prepare the client in a different way. 

If you are giving notice of the remote deposition, the first thing you want to do is make sure your notice has the correct language. Most times, it is required that a deposition notice state the method in which it will be conducted. Be sure to check your local. state rules for the exact requirements. Once you know the correct language go ahead and create or adjust your boilerplate notice to include the correct language. 

Make sure the knows how to communicate with everyone behind the scenes. If the client plans on attending the deposition, but does not plan on being in the same room as their attorney at the time of the deposition, ask the attorney how they would like to handle communicating with the client. They might make you the middle person and decide to communicate with you and then you must communicate with the witness. If they leave it you to you, set ground rules before the deposition. Inform everyone of the best method, whether it be via text, email  or even via slack. Decided before hand and make sure everyone is on the same page.

Next you will want to make sure you test your bandwidth and equipment. Make sure the audio, video and internet are 100% up to par. Make sure your attorney has enough bandwidth to handle these various components and has good enough speed to upload and download exhibits if they need.  Make sure they do a speed test to check their WIFI prior to the deposition or if they are hard wired, make sure their connections are in tack.

Make sure you provide all participants with the information. Make sure the Court reporter has the contact information for all parties involved since they will likely handle the disbursement of the link to the virtual platform that will connect everyone.