How Osha Law Center Cut Deposition Prep Time and Accelerated Settlements

Executive Summary 

Douglas W. Crim PLC, a fully remote firm specializing in Michigan OSHA and Federal OSHA appeals, faced significant bottlenecks in their deposition workflow. Preparation was a manual, weeks-long process involving fragmented documents and large case files. By implementing Deposely, the firm significantly reduced preparation time , obtained an unofficial transcript immediately for use in case preparation,  and obtained real time deposition feedback that provided better depositions and helped resolve cases more favorably.  

The Challenge: Manual Processes in a Remote World 

Before partnering with Deposely, the team at Crim PLC devoted substantial time and effort preparing for and taking depositions. 

• The "Blank Page" Problem: Paralegals and attorneys spent many hours per case manually reviewing case records and information (sometimes up to 900 pages) and building outlines from scratch in Microsoft Word. 
• The "Blind" Deposition: During live depositions, attorneys relied on paper notes. If a witness stalled, was not paying attention to the question, or gave an evasive answer, the attorney had to physically flip through pages or attempt to recall the specific language of a question, losing their flow and missing opportunities to get a clean answer to a specifically worded question. 
• Post-Deposition Lag: Typically, the firm had to wait several weeks for official transcripts. This delay stalled case evaluations and settlement negotiations or forced the firm to pay rush fees. 

"Before Deposely, we would spend anywhere from a couple of weeks to over a month preparing. It was very manual." 

— Matthew Zak, Senior Paralegal 

The Solution: AI-Powered "Virtual Second Chair" 

Crim PLC deployed Deposely to unify their preparation, execution, and analysis phases. 

1. Automated Prep & Collaboration 

Deposely’s AI now ingests the case records and information and generates a structured outline with targeted questions and auto-tagged exhibits in minutes. This creates a "master location" for the remote team, preventing redundant work. 

2. Real-Time "Confidence" Monitor 

During the deposition, Deposely displays a live dashboard. It tracks which objectives have been met and provides a real-time transcript. As Derek shared, “when I just have a hard copy of my questions, I don't have that real time data of, did I achieve our objective here?” but he does with Deposely, tracking against every question in the outline. 

The Benefit: If a witness is evasive, the attorney can instantly scroll back, read the exact prior testimony, and restate the question verbatim without breaking eye contact or shuffling paper. 

3. Instant Insight 

The firm no longer needs to wait for the court reporter's turnaround to advance settlement negotiations. They utilize the immediate rough transcript to identify admissions and inconsistencies the moment the deposition ends. 

The Results: Faster Work, Better Outcomes 

Since implementing Deposely six months ago, Douglas W. Crim PLC has made significant increase in their practice efficiency. 

What previously took weeks now takes days. The AI handles the "heavy lifting" of basic outlining, allowing the legal team to focus purely on high-level strategy and complex questioning. 

"I would say it cut prep time significantly... It helps us craft a question in a way that elicits the answer and creates a clean record.  Also, the live transcription helps when a witness asks for a question to be repeated." 

— Derek McCormick, Attorney 

2. Expeditious Settlement Agreements 

Speed is leverage. Previously, the firm waited several weeks  for a transcript to draft a settlement proposal. Now, they can draft highly accurate settlement agreements promptly  following the deposition. 

"Now, we have the transcripts right away... We can begin the process of evaluating and drafting a settlement proposal pretty much the day after the deposition took place. We can be certain and say, 'Hey, this person admitted to this.' It’s huge." 

— Matthew Zak, Senior Paralegal 

3. Increased Capacity & Cost Savings 

The firm has realized cost savings by reducing the hours spent on deposition preparation and by eliminating the need to order official transcripts in some cases.  This efficiency helps the firm to handle more cases without increasing headcount or burnout. 

“Deposely improved our representation of clients and it follows more of a process based approach than doing it manually.” 

-Derek McCormick, Attorney 

Conclusion 

For Douglas W. Crim PLC, Deposely isn't just a tool; it is a competitive advantage. It allows a small, remote team to operate with the speed and precision of a much larger firm, turning the deposition process from a manual burden into a strategic asset. 

Ready to cut your deposition prep time? 

Contact the Deposely sales team to schedule your demo today. 

‍