The list of considerations when coordinating international depositions as opposed to domestic can be long and often includes steps which are both pricey and tedious. Visa requirements for certain countries (India, to name but one) can be both time consuming and frustrating. The travel aspect can also be worrisome from a logistical standpoint, as well as expense. If your deposition in Hong Kong, for example, falls near a holiday in the Asia-Pacific region, airfare can be astronomical. Then there is the travel time to be considered.
One option to cut out several steps and expenses in the process is to take your depositions via videoconference. It should be noted that this is not a possibility in all destinations (for instance, in Japan, depositions must be taken at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo or the Consulate in Osaka. Neither venue allows videoconferencing). If videoconference is chosen as the means by which to depose your witness in the Czech Republic, however, you can thereby eliminate the added process of planning travel for your legal team. Your paralegal need not worry about visas, flights, hotel accommodations, etc. Additionally, the videoconferencing option removes some significant expenses from the invoice to your client. For those destinations that may not offer facilities with videoconferencing capabilities, try mobile videoconferencing as an attractive alternative. All you need is a stable internet connection. Your court reporting firm can provide comparison pricing and reserve the location for your depositions –whether overseas or in the U.S.. Your videographer can double as a technician to monitor the connection and ensure all goes smoothly for a successful deposition. Text, audio and video can also be streamed to participants upon request.
If possible, it is best to have the court reporter and videographer present with the witness for the videoconference deposition. This is particularly preferable if the witness requires an interpreter. Being present with the witness in such a case aids the reporter in accurately taking down the realtime record. Additionally, the video recording will naturally be of greater quality if the videographer is present with the witness. A firm with reporters, videographers, and interpreters in Europe, Asia, and other faraway destinations can arrange to have the entire reporting team present with the witness, often with no travel fees involved.
