Litigator 🐠 -
How many plaintiff depos have you taken?
Practice area?
Size firm (if applicable)?
Years of practice?

I’m part of our firm’s professional development group and the junior associates have been pushing for a depo skills workshop. Someone suggested senior associates help put it together, which was ironic coming from a partner who never allows seniors the opportunity to take depos. Anyway, hoping to get a sense of whether we’re on par before meeting with the practice group chairs.

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1st year, mid size ID, 12

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Trial by fire baby. Gotta love ID.

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Lost count, more than 60.
Mostly employment
Large regional ID/general litigation (150+)
4th year

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Zero
Intellectual property
Biglaw, 2000+ attorneys
7 YOE

(I’ve taken a couple third party and expert depos.)

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0 (have taken 2 deps on a random case tho)
Complex lit/securities
Biglaw
2

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- including plaintiffs and third parties, by the time I became partner I had probably personally taken around 20-25. Since then (2.5 years) I’ve probably taken around 15.
- complex civil and business litigation
- 10 YOP
- small firm, 6-8 attorneys

Ditto for me, but much larger firm.

1 depo
Personal Injury
Small firm
3rd year

Back in the big law days, my firm did the same thing. They had to scramble to find anyone not a partner to prepare the workshop, and when that person was short hours for the month, they threatened their chances at the shriveled up partnership carrot and used the stick too.

No one ever volunteered for anything again from what I can tell.

When I was in litigation (~2.5 years):
80 or so
Basically full service
Regional Firm, 30-40 attorneys
6 YOE

Half of those plaintiff depositions were covering for our ID practice group who never had enough bodies. The other half was in construction.

100+ I literally have four this week alone
ID and complex lit
Small firm
7YOE

Hundreds, six years, midsize regional firms.

~5
Management side employment
Midsize LA
Fourth year

One
Appellate and trial support
100+
2 YOE

Defended too many depos to count. Probably 10-15

Hundreds-Lost count really
Insurance Defense, KY
35ish lawyers
8 yrs.

Plaintiff - less than 5; third party - 50; expert - less than 5
Employment mostly
3 attorneys
9 YOE

1st year Plaintiffs side PI
About 30-40 lawyers at my firm.


I've taken more than 10 depositions. One of which was an expert for trial.

Small (~25)
ID Firm
3rd year
15

zero
employment defense, NJ
biglaw
3rd year

Lost count.
9th year big law (2000+ attys).
Toxic torts/class actions.

FWIW, I started taking deps in my second year. It is unusual to get to year 5 without having taken one at my firm.

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