Coaching witnesses during remote video depositions has become a more frequent problem for lawyers due to their lack of proper preparation. In an article titled “Laying the Groundwork,” published in the August/September 2025 issue of Chicago Lawyer magazine, Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner at Clifford Law Offices, shares his thoughts on this issue and the latest word from the American Bar Association on how best to avoid this improper and unethical practice.
“Coaching is often the result of insufficient preparation. If proper steps are taken to prepare a witness before the deposition, there would be no need to interrupt, send signals, or even bully witnesses into saying what you want them to say,” Clifford writes in his column.
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