Depositions have always been the first battlefield of litigation. They served as traininggrounds for new litigators, and wre the scene of many an argument over whether the attorney was “coaching” his witness, obtruding into the questioning, making good or frivolous objections, some of which were remedied by calls to chambers. More substantive issues such as the scope of inquiry under Carvalho came up there too. Now, the landscape has changed in a seismic shift. As of 10/1/06 everything is different. Objections on relevance no longer permissible, speaking objections no longer permissible, reasons for objections now must be given. It’s all changed! See the NYLJ article by Daniel Wise for details.