Cost of Deposition: What to Expect

Depositions are at the core of discovery. Eyewitness testimony, scientific and forensic facts, expert knowledge, character witnesses—it all starts with a formal deposition. 

When you’re a lawyer, budget is just one of many factors to consider, along with time. For an average lawsuit, up to 70% of total costs are incurred during the discovery phase, largely from any type of deposition.¹

That said, deposition costs can vary widely, so here are some factors to consider. 

Main Components of Deposition Costs

Let’s break down the cost of deposition variables. Depositions can last anywhere from 30 minutes to multiple days. In general, typical costs start at a few hundred and go and include the following line items:

Court Reporter Appearance Fees

A deposition without a court reporter in attendance isn’t recognized by most courts. To be entered into the court record, you’ll need an official to complete the swearing-in of deponents and opening/closing formalities, as well as a professional court reporter to capture, prepare, and distribute a transcript. 

It’s possible to break up these duties across a notary official and a transcriptionist or ASR (automated speech recognition) technology, but a court reporter who can fulfill this set of duties is most common. 

Transcript Fees

An official transcript of the deposition will include identification of each speaker and a verbatim (word-for-word) capture of exactly what was said in the room while the deposition is in effect. 

Videography Fees

Most lawyers and attorneys opt for a full audio and video recording of a deposition. The video deposition can be used for review as the trial strategy for the case is built. It may also be used at court to highlight a witness’s attitude or truthfulness during initial questioning, to impeach their testimony, or to replace their live testimony. 

Expert Witness Fees

Expert witness fees can range widely, depending on case complexity, area of knowledge, and the available pool of potential experts. If they have very unique and critical expertise—or a combination of prestige within their specialty and experience as a legal expert witness—you may face a steep cost. 

Billing may also include an upfront retainer and an hourly rate for preparation time. 

Attorney Preparation and Attendance

The bill for an attorney’s involvement in a deposition doesn’t just include proceeding duration. It also encompasses a range of duties billed at various rates by the attorney, as well as paralegals and administrative staff: 

• Preparation, including document review, exhibit prep, and legal research
• Developing questions for direct and cross-examination
• Scheduling and coordination
• Travel time to and from the deposition
• Post-deposition analysis, review, discussion, and follow-ups 

Lawyer costs vary based on specialization, geography (state and metropolitan proximity), and reputation or experience.²

Additional or Hidden Costs to Consider

Alongside standard deposition costs, you may face additional fees and expenses for long-distance travel, rough draft transcripts, quick transcript turnarounds, or securing an appropriate space to host the deposition. 

Travel and Lodging Expenses

While hybrid courtrooms and virtual proceedings are more common, an in-person deposition is often preferred. You may need to cover travel expenses if your deponent: 

• Is likely to be hostile or reluctant to testify
• Provides testimony that is complex or critical to a case theory
• Needs to view or provide exhibits, sketches, or other nonverbal communication
• Requires translation or other communication assistance

Depending on your approach and the preferences of all parties, you may need to cover travel expenses for a deponent to come to you, or for you to visit their location. 

Room Rental and Equipment Fees

While many deposition service providers include conference rooms with all the bells and whistles needed for a deposition, that is not always the case. Additional fees for deposition space may be needed: 

• For solo practitioners and small firms that don’t have deposition-ready rooms
• When a deposition needs to be held at the witness’s location rather than at the firm
• If an informal or neutral setting is strategically preferential
• To meet limited scheduling availability

A basic budget includes: 

• A room rental at a hotel, a coworking space, or a colleague’s firm
• High-definition video camera(s) and accessories
• High-quality microphones and a digital audio recorder
• Display screen and/or individual screens to include additional remote attendees

Expedited Transcript or Same-Day Services

If time is of the essence, you may be on the hook for a speedy turnaround. This can include rush or premium fees for: 

• Transcript completion
• Equipment rental and delivery
• Court reporter or videographer hiring
• Room rental

Who Typically Pays for a Deposition?

In most court cases, the legal team that initiates and serves a notice of deposition (the requesting party) will also be responsible for covering the costs detailed above. 

However, the opposing party will need to pay for: 

• Transcript copy
• Videographer or transcriptionist, if they want to provide their own
• Billable hours for the opposing attorney’s (and staff’s) time to prepare and attend
• In some jurisdictions, the cost of their own expert witnesses’ time and expenses

Note that some jurisdictions have their own rules about the allocation of trial and discovery expenses. There may also be some negotiation or agreement on cost-sharing for depositions that serve both parties, or for accommodations in location or timing.

Cost-Saving Strategies for Depositions

Two of the most important methods of managing your deposition budgets are through virtual technology and working with a comprehensive service provider. 

Leveraging Virtual Deposition Technology 

With old-school telephone depositions, attorneys were entirely cut off from evaluating the wide range of nonverbal cues that help establish truthfulness and attitude—as well as from ensuring opposing counsel wasn’t influencing witness testimony.³

Even now, with commercial virtual meeting platforms, it can be tricky to capture the right views and details essential for final case strategy decisions and key trial events up to impeachment. 

Dedicated virtual deposition technology bridges this gap by offering: 

• Integrated exhibit management with advanced annotation tools and controls
• High-definition video conferencing 
• Private breakout rooms with easy-to-manage controls
• Repository to access and collaborate on private, previous, and master exhibits

Look for a platform that also provides: 

• Live speech-to-text feed of participant audio with instant playback
• Text feed speaker identification, time stamp, and search and bookmarking ability
• Audio, video, and transcript syncing for review
• Immediate access to post-proceeding recordings, chat logs, and other assets

Bundling Services with a Single Provider

As with insurance or communication service providers, you stand to gain savings and efficiencies by bundling litigation support services with a single provider. For depositions specifically, look for partners who can offer skilled: 

• Remote deposition platform and support
• AI-powered deposition summary services
• Court reporters and realtime transcriptionists
• Interpreters and translators

Additional discovery support services may include: 

• Records retrieval, organization, and analysis
• AI-powered records summarization
• Process serving
• Trial and jury consulting

Finally, providers may also offer comprehensive trial support services, such as: 

• Voir dire and jury research and consulting
• Mock trials
• Witness preparation
• Trial graphics and demonstratives
• Trial presentation and technology services

When you opt for a single partner, you can avoid vetting individual providers for cybersecurity, HIPAA, and other protocols, and gain the benefits of a single communication process and file delivery system.

Choosing the Right Deposition Service Provider

The right litigation support services provider can offer a range of services that help you schedule and complete depositions more efficiently while controlling costs. When you partner with specialists, you can take advantage of economies of scale, multi-location professional networks, and best-case use of technology. 

Evaluating Service Quality and Accuracy

Before you select a deposition service provider, evaluate their range of services, professional reputation, and how they can assure you of both quality and accuracy. Ask about their depth of knowledge, years of experience, and technology capabilities before getting to how much they charge. 

Balancing Cost with Reliability

Keeping costs down is a high priority, but it can’t trump reliability. If you can’t count on quality, turnaround timeliness, transcript accuracy, or videography and audio recording competence, then you’ll end up with deposition results that aren’t court-ready or able to help you achieve favorable outcomes. 

Final Thoughts on Deposition Costs

Keep an eye on your resources before diving into discovery depositions so you can prioritize essential testimony and build your strongest case. You can also leverage cost-saving methods to stretch your deposition dollar, including remote depositions, early planning, cost-sharing, and working with the right deposition service provider. 

That’s where U.S. Legal Support comes in. Since 1996, we’ve offered top-notch litigation support services to legal industry partners—from solo practitioners and boutique firms to BigLaw and Fortune 500 corporations. 

In addition to remote deposition and deposition summary services, we provide nationwide court reporting, realtime transcription, interpreting, records retrieval, organization and analysis, AI-powered medical records summarization, litigation consulting, and trial support including voir dire and jury research and consulting, mock trials, witness preparation, trial graphics, demonstratives, and trial presentation and technology services. 

Reach out today to discuss your deposition and other legal support needs. 

Sources: 

1. My Law Coach. Cost of Witness Depositions in a Civil Lawsuit. https://www.mylawcoach.com/my_weblog/2008/03/cost-of-witness.html
2. Consumer Shield. How Much Does a Lawyer Cost per Hour? Trends Chart | 2025. https://www.consumershield.com/articles/how-much-lawyer-cost-per-hour
3. Carl Person. Estimated Costs of One 1st-Class Deposition. http://www.carlperson.com/estimated.php

Julie Feller

Julie Feller is the Vice President of Marketing at U.S. Legal Support where she leads innovative marketing initiatives. With a proven track record in the legal industry, Juie previously served at Abacus Data Systems (now Caret Legal) where she played a pivotal role in providing cutting-edge technology platforms and services to legal professionals nationwide.