Every so often, I make a personal admission on this weblog, most of which make me look inordinately geeky. Here's another: for years, I kept a detailed log recounting the highs and lows of each deposition I conducted. Mostly, it was a catalogue of my mistakes.
The time to do it was just after a deposition had ended. As I tend to be a perfectionist, I wouldn't hold back in recounting my errors. Did a witness get the best of me? I'd note that fact, adding instructions to myself for maintaining control the next time I came face-to-face with a strong-willed deponent. Did a witness I was defending make an unnecessary admission that could have been avoided by preparing him differently? It was duly noted in my notebook. In defending a deposition, did I fail to make a needed objection? I made sure to record that fact, as well as any other mistake that came to mind.
You get the idea. Every so often, I'd review my catalogue of little deposition sins, resolving not to make the same mistake twice. I'm still far from perfect, which might be attributable to another failing of mine: I lost my notebook and never started another.
But now I have this weblog, the better to share my mistakes with the entire world. Is that yet another mistake? Time will tell . . .
This isn't geeky at all. It's a brilliant idea.
Posted by: UCL | June 30, 2004 at 03:51 PM
Thanks much. Glad you like the idea . . .
Posted by: Evan | June 30, 2004 at 04:33 PM