Deposition Review with CT Summation iBlaze Color Highlighting

You can open my old Civil Procedure course book and see I usually highlighted cases with three colors: Blue for the “Issue,” orange for “Rule,” yellow for “Analysis” and a note in the margin for the “Conclusion” (IRAC for the non-lawyers). Law students have been highlighting and writing in textbooks since the “Paper Chase,” be it in search of “peppercorns” in Contracts cases or untying the Gordian Knot in Asahi Metal Industry Co., v. Superior Court.

 The latest version of CT Summation iBlaze allows for issue color highlighting in deposition review. [1] The new feature in CT Summation iBlaze 2.9.1 allows for a lawyer or paralegal to color code all of their issues, select favorite issues (most likely the key issues or facts) or assign a specific color to a user.

 For some background, I first started using CT Summation iBlaze back with version 2.6. I later worked for CT Summation for two and a half years demonstrating the product at seminars and tradeshows.

My main assignment when I used CT Summation iBlaze was summarizing 60 depositions and reviewing documents. While nothing beats the analysis of a good note about a deponent, the color highlighting feature would have been very helpful for the managing attorney to visually look for issue colored excerpts on reviewed transcripts.

 Here is how I would use the new transcript highlighting in deposition review:

 Assign colors to 1 to no more than 5 issues as “Favorites.” For example, if I were representing a plumber in a construction defect case, I would have an issue for “Plumbing Work” and assign the color blue. I would assign “Damages” the color red. In that case, I might have issues based on the Plaintiff’s causes of action, the plumber’s defenses, facts relating to the other subcontractors and the damage to the property. I would avoid “color confusion” by assigning every issue a color.

 I prefer my deposition summaries to be each question and answer compressed into one statement for review.  [2] To accomplish this in CT Summation iBlaze, I would select the deposing attorney’s question and the deponent’s answer. I would then do a right click to the left of the transcript line number and select the “Add Note” option.

Once the Note appears, I would then type in my summary of the question and answer. I would then Issue code as needed for each note. My “Favorite” color coded Issues will appear if I have selected the option to “Show Only Favorites.”  

The above would enable the reviewer to skim the transcripts visually for the colors Blue or Red guide their review. 

Those reviewing the deposition summaries may do so in CT Summation or a print out that includes the color highlights and notes. Additionally, you could print the notes creating a true summary of the deposition as paper or as a PDF.

 There are many ways to conduct deposition review in CT Summation. The above are just a few strategies for deposition review. Nothing will ever top the ability to do integrated searches across multiple transcripts or organize notes by issues. However, the color highlighting is a helpful new tool for deposition review.

 

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