The notorious Joe Jamail/Edward Carstarphen deposition video (Apr. 8, Apr. 27) has been getting another round of attention thanks to new links from Andrew Sullivan and Dale Carpenter. Among a number of interesting reader comments at the latter site is this from John Steele (excerpt):
…For years now, I’ve been having my students do dramatic readings of both the famous Jamail depos. The reaction is usually a mixture of laughter and disgust. If anyone wants the two transcripts, shoot me an email….
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In ethics; Joe Jamail
Looking forward to the NYC Opera version.
The best defense is a good offense, and it comes best from the witness. A couple of years ago, I was defending a deposition and the opposing attorney started raising his voice at the witness, who evidently thought (with considerable justification) that the question was poorly framed.
Despite my efforts to play peacemaker, the attorney eventually began yelling at the witness. Witness, with profound presence of mind, remarked:
“I usually only speak this way to my children, but you need a time out.”
It worked.