Clerking at Rice Law: by Chelsea Conn

Being a clerk for Larry Rice is all about gaining experience. Recently, Mr. Rice allowed me to accompany him to a deposition. I think one of the more interesting things about a deposition is how personal the questions can be and how the face-to-face interaction between opposing sides can bring out tension and nervousness between attorneys and the respective parties. Reviewing the transcripts can offer a different view of how the interaction actually played out. In the past, I have been given the task of indexing depositions for key components. Often, when reading over a transcript, it seems as though the actual deposition and what I am reading are two different conversations. Mr. Rice’s humor and good will, however, are not lost in the transcription. It is abundantly clear that Mr. Rice remains respectful to both the opposing party and their attorney. While depositions can be a tough and emotionally-draining experience, it is important to remember to respect each other in order to keep the process moving along smoothly. Depositions are an invaluable means to obtain discovery and allowing law clerks to observe these depositions and the techniques used gives us the opportunity to fine-tune our communication skills.