Confidential Excerpts Question

[Colleen Peterman]

I just turned in a depo with confidential excerpts.  The attorneys made it clear during the deposition what they wanted excerpted - three of the witness's answers.  After turning the job in, the person who works in the copy room at the agency told me that I need to excerpt the question, the instruction, and the answer in each case, despite the attorneys' instructions to me.  I don't think I should excerpt more than what the attorneys want excerpted. 

What would you do?

[Martha R]

I would do what the attorneys asked.   Also as my own practice, I don't excerpt the instructions anyway.  But I've never heard a definitive answer on what was the absolute correct way to do it.

[Janiece Young]

So, Colleen, you had to take certain confidential parts out and put them in a separate booklet?  I know when I "certify" questions for the Court I take the question and the response and the objection.  I guess if the attorneys were very specific about what they wanted done you should do what they said.  Did they specify on the record?

[Lisa O'Sullivan]

Hey, Comapete! :) Long time no talk to. This is a weird one. The attorney specifically said only the answers were to be excerpted? I've never had that before. It would seem that the answers would be so out of context. I think what I would do is that if he seemed more general and more of a junior attorney, I would just go with what the agency wanted. If he seemed more specific and more of a senior/experienced attorney, I would include in my communications with the agency to please confirm with the attorney.