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I was able to quickly highlight the most relevant
questions and answers, generate a “TextMap Annotation
Digest Report” report, and email it as a pdf
file to my client along with the entire text file of
the deposition.
After a deposition on apportionment, I prepared an
issues list with all the reasons the doctor had cited
for apportionment.
After highlighting the questions and answers and linking
the issues, I was able to generate a report in just
minutes that organized the different utterances of
the doctor on each issue, even though the comments
were scattered throughout the transcript.
Not Just for Transcripts
I have found several other
uses for TextMap besides deposition transcript analysis.
1. Combining transcripts and other
reports: On complex
cases, I save the forensic reports (medical, vocational,
etc.) along with the depo transcripts and witness statements
in the client’s TextMap file. There are several
ways to do this: scan the report to Word, then save
as a text file, or ask the evaluator’s office
to send the file as a Word or WordPerfect file, then
save to a text file (.txt). It is then easy to find
all instances of a word, add notes or links, and prepare
reports, as outlined above.
2. Saving cases: The same
can be done with cases. Download or print as a text
file from Lexis, then import into a TextMap file. [Make
sure you close the text file before importing it.]
If there are several key cases, you can quickly find
the disparities or similarities between the opinions
by searching on a word or name. When I applied this
technique to the Almaraz/Guzman decision, I was able
to quickly find where “vocational” was
discussed and highlight those passages. I generated
a report which I then sent to my vocational expert
and may later send to the forensic evaluator:
3. Saving statutes and regulations: Again, save as
text files, then annotate. For example, I downloaded
the WCAB’s Policy and Procedure Manual as a Word
doc, saved it as a text file, then imported it into
TextMap file. I did the same with the QME regulations.
The advantage of this approach is the speed with which
I can find something. All instances of the word I am
searching on are instantly visible, and I can add notes,
highlight, and extract or report what I want. I can
also add links to cases or documents as they become
available and notes summarizing the regulations. I
wanted to quickly find the rules regarding additional
QME panels or evaluations, so I searched on “additional” then
printed the report to a PDF file:
In sum, TextMap5 at the minimum is a fast way to search
and review a deposition transcript, make notes, link
to documents, exhibits, and issues, and generate reports
that are useful as a basis for trial briefs, petitions,
and to keep clients informed. By extending the concept
into a tool for analyzing the law, you are sure to
get your money’s worth.
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