The "Rowboat" Trap: How Opposing Counsel Uses Q&A Rhythm to Get Experts Talking

Question: Is it dangerous to get into a Q&A cadence with opposing counsel in a deposition?

Dr. Max Houck names and breaks down a specific attorney technique he calls the "rowboat" — a steady back-and-forth rhythm of questions and answers that lulls an expert into a pattern, until opposing counsel simply stops talking and stares, leaving the witness feeling like they haven't finished. The silence feels wrong, the rhythm says keep going, and so the expert starts volunteering — which is exactly what the attorney was waiting for. Dr. Houck admits that even knowing the technique from mock trial didn't fully prepare him for how convincing it feels in a real courtroom, because the impulse driving it isn't weakness — it's a deeply human tendency to mirror and match the people we're engaged with. His warning is direct: recognize the pattern, resist the pull, and treat a silent stare as a closed question rather than an invitation to elaborate. This clip is essential for any expert preparing for deposition who wants to understand the psychological tools opposing counsel uses to extract more than an answer requires.

Видео The "Rowboat" Trap: How Opposing Counsel Uses Q&A Rhythm to Get Experts Talking канала The Expert Witness Club