LEGAL DOCUMENTS
Deposition Errata Sheet and Signature Page Notary
A deposition errata sheet notary appointment closes the witness’s review period, so the pages must be right the first time. We review the certificates before the appointment, meet the witness wherever they are, administer the oath and return the originals to counsel or the court reporter.
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ERRATA AND SIGNATURE PAGES
Sworn, signed and returned on time
For law firms, court reporters and witnesses across Greater Boston
- Certificates and venue checked first
- Witness met at home, office or facility
- Jurat completed on every page
- Originals returned to counsel or the reporter
How we handle deposition errata sheets and signature pages
A deposition errata sheet notary appointment is short, but it comes at the end of a strict review period and the pages go straight back to counsel and the court reporter. We review the pages before the appointment, meet the witness wherever they are, administer the oath and return the originals without changing a word of the testimony corrections.
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We review the pages first
Send us the signature page and errata sheet before the appointment. We check the jurat wording, look for missing venue lines and blank certificate fields, and raise anything that needs correcting with counsel before the witness’s time is booked.
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We meet the witness where they are
We come to the witness’s home, office, a hospital or a care facility, or meet at counsel’s office, across Greater Boston and the surrounding counties.
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Oath, signature and jurat
The witness presents a current government-issued photo ID, swears or affirms that the contents are true, and signs each page in our presence. We complete a jurat on every page that calls for one.
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Checked against counsel’s instructions
Before we leave, every signature, date, certificate and seal is checked against the set counsel approved. The testimony corrections themselves are the witness’s and counsel’s; we never alter them.
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Returned to counsel or the reporter
Scans of the completed documents are emailed to you before they ship. We send the originals by tracked courier to counsel or the court reporter, wherever their office is.
What we notarize after a deposition
This page covers the signing that happens after the transcript is prepared. To have a witness sworn at the deposition itself, see our page on depositions, oaths and sworn statements.
Signature pages
The witness’s certificate or acknowledgment that they have read the transcript and that it is true, subject to any corrections.
Errata sheets
The page listing each change to the transcript, by page and line, with the reason for the change.
Multi-volume transcripts
Separate signature pages and errata sheets for each day or volume, each with its own jurat.
Witnesses for out-of-state cases
Massachusetts residents who testified in a case pending in another state or federal district, using that jurisdiction’s forms.
Witnesses who cannot travel
Deponents at home, in a hospital or in a rehabilitation or nursing facility. See hospital and bedside notary services.
Related sworn documents
Verifications of discovery responses and affidavits prepared alongside the errata. See affidavits and sworn statements.
A recent matter, and situations we handle
The first example is a recent matter, described with client details removed. The others are typical situations and how we approach them.
Two volumes, four jurats, one afternoon
A national law firm’s New York office needed a witness in Worcester County to sign the signature pages and errata sheets for a two-volume deposition. The first pages had no venue in the notary blocks. The revised pages misspelled the county and one errata sheet still lacked the venue, so we corrected only those certificate lines, left the testimony corrections exactly as written, and asked counsel to approve. With approval, all four pages were signed and notarized that afternoon, scans went to counsel, and the originals were shipped to the firm’s New York office.
A witness in a care facility
When the deponent is in a hospital or rehabilitation facility, we coordinate the visit with staff in advance and bring the pages to the bedside. The witness must be able to understand and take the oath.
An out-of-state case with its own forms
A witness in Massachusetts may receive pages drafted for another state’s court. We review the jurat before the appointment and work with counsel if the wording needs a Massachusetts venue or certificate.
A review period about to close
When the 30 days are nearly over, timing matters more than anything. We schedule the earliest appointment the witness can make and return the originals by overnight courier, with scans the same day.
Errata sheet due soon?
Send us the pages and the deadline. We will review the certificates and schedule the witness promptly.
Does a deposition errata sheet have to be notarized?
The rules that govern depositions require the witness to review and sign, but they do not themselves require a notary. Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(e), when review is requested before the deposition is completed, the witness has 30 days after being notified that the transcript is available to review it and, if there are changes in form or substance, to sign a statement listing the changes and the reasons for making them.
In Massachusetts state courts, Mass. R. Civ. P. 30(e) provides that the transcript is submitted to the witness, that changes in form or substance are entered with the witness’s reasons, and that the witness signs within 30 days of submission unless signature is waived. If the witness does not sign in time, the officer signs and states the reason on the record.
Notarization therefore usually comes from somewhere else: the court reporter’s standard signature page, the practice in the jurisdiction where the case is pending, the other state’s rules, or counsel’s preference for a sworn signature. Whether your pages must be notarized is a question for counsel. When they are, we make sure the notarization is done correctly and on time.
Why errata sheets use a jurat, not an acknowledgment
Most signature pages and errata sheets ask the witness to swear that the transcript, as corrected, is true. That makes the notarial act a jurat. Massachusetts law defines a jurat as an act in which the signer signs in the notary’s presence and takes an oath or affirmation vouching for the truthfulness or accuracy of the contents (M.G.L. c. 222, § 1).
Two practical consequences follow. First, the witness must sign in front of us, so the pages should come to the appointment unsigned; a page signed in advance is replaced with a fresh copy. Second, the witness must be willing and able to take the oath or affirmation. An affirmation is available to anyone who prefers not to swear.
The Massachusetts jurat form in M.G.L. c. 222, § 15 records that the signer swore or affirmed that the contents of the document are truthful and accurate to the best of their knowledge and belief. Pages from out-of-state reporters often use their own wording, which we review in advance.
Mistakes that send errata pages back
- Signing before the appointment. A jurat must be signed in the notary’s presence. Pre-signed pages have to be printed and signed again.
- A notary block with no venue. Pages drafted elsewhere often leave the state and county blank or omit them. We ask counsel for corrected pages, or propose the correction for counsel to approve.
- A misspelled county. Small errors in the certificate invite questions about the notarization. We check spelling as carefully as signatures.
- Changing the testimony corrections. The errata are the witness’s, made with counsel. A notary never edits them, and neither should anyone else after the witness has sworn to them.
- Mixing up volumes. Multi-day depositions produce a set of pages for each volume. Each set is signed, notarized and kept together with the right volume.
- Missing the 30-day window. Under both the federal and Massachusetts rules, the review period is 30 days. Book the appointment as soon as the transcript arrives.
- Expired identification. The witness needs a current government-issued photo ID in the name used in the transcript.
- Unclear return instructions. Confirm whether the originals go to counsel or the court reporter, and to which office, before the appointment.
Witness outside Boston?
We travel across Greater Boston and the surrounding counties, and coordinate notaries for witnesses in other states.
Venue, certificates and corrections we will and will not make
The certificate on an errata sheet identifies where and before whom the oath was taken. When pages arrive without the Commonwealth and county, or with an error in them, we raise it with counsel. In our Worcester County matter, counsel sent revised pages with the venue added; we found the county misspelled and one page still missing the venue, corrected only those certificate lines, and used the pages once counsel approved them in writing.
That is the boundary we keep. We will propose corrections to the notarial certificate, and we will make them only with counsel’s approval. We will not change the transcript corrections, the reasons given, the signature lines or anything else the witness is swearing to.
We are notaries and document specialists, not attorneys. We do not advise witnesses on their testimony or their corrections; questions about the substance go to counsel.
Witnesses outside Massachusetts or unable to meet in person
Our notaries are commissioned in Massachusetts and notarize signatures made here. When the witness has returned to another state, the pages are notarized there. We can coordinate a notary in the witness’s location so counsel still has one point of contact.
For some matters, remote online notarization may be an option if counsel and the court reporter accept it. Confirm that before the appointment, because the original pages and the reporter’s requirements may call for an in-person signing.
Firms that send us regular deposition work can also rely on us for the related services around a case: swearing in witnesses, notarizing affidavits and verifications, and authenticating sworn statements for use abroad. See our page for law firms.
What to send us before the appointment
- The signature page and errata sheet for each volume, as counsel approved them
- The witness’s name exactly as it appears on their government-issued photo ID, and how to reach them
- The location where the witness can meet, and any facility contact
- The date the 30-day review period ends
- Where the originals should be sent, and on whose courier account
Related services for attorneys
- Depositions, oaths and sworn statements: swearing in witnesses at the deposition
- Affidavits and sworn statements: jurats for litigation documents
- Law firms: notary, apostille and translation for counsel
- Hospital and bedside notary: witnesses who cannot travel
- Rehab and nursing facilities: signings coordinated with staff
- Out-of-state documents signed in Massachusetts: other states’ forms and certificates
- Notarial certificate review: wording checked before signing
- Remote online notarization: when an in-person signing is not possible
Official sources
- Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 30(e): review by the witness; changes
- Massachusetts Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 30(e), as amended effective September 1, 2017
- M.G.L. c. 222, § 1: definition of jurat
- M.G.L. c. 222, § 15: Massachusetts jurat form
Requirements change, and the receiving office always has the final word. We link to official sources so you can check the current rules yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Does a deposition errata sheet need to be notarized?
Not under the rules themselves. Federal Rule 30(e) and Mass. R. Civ. P. 30(e) require the witness to review and sign, but notarization usually comes from the reporter’s form, the jurisdiction’s practice or counsel’s preference. Counsel decides; when notarization is required, we handle it.
How long does a witness have to sign the errata sheet?
Under the federal rule, 30 days after being notified that the transcript is available, when review was requested before the deposition ended. Under the Massachusetts rule, 30 days from submission of the transcript to the witness. Book the notary as soon as the pages arrive.
Should the witness sign the errata sheet before the notary arrives?
No. Errata sheets and signature pages are usually jurats, which must be signed in the notary’s presence after the oath. Pre-signed pages have to be signed again on a fresh copy.
Can you come to the witness’s home or a hospital?
Yes. We meet witnesses at home, at work, at counsel’s office, in hospitals and in care facilities across Greater Boston and the surrounding counties.
The notary block on our pages has no state or county. Can you fix it?
We can propose the correction to counsel, or counsel can send revised pages. We correct the notarial certificate only with counsel’s approval, and we never change the testimony corrections.
Can the witness affirm instead of swearing?
Yes. A witness who prefers not to swear an oath can affirm. The jurat records that the witness swore or affirmed.
Can you ship the originals to our office in another state?
Yes. We ship the originals by tracked courier to counsel or the court reporter, and email scans of the completed pages before they leave.
What is the difference between this and swearing in a witness at the deposition?
At the deposition, the notary administers the oath before testimony. Afterward, the witness signs the signature page and errata sheet, often before a notary. For the first, see our page on depositions, oaths and sworn statements.
Our witness has moved to another state. Can you still help?
Yes. The pages are notarized in the witness’s state. We coordinate a notary there, so counsel still works with one point of contact.
Need errata sheets notarized?
Send us the pages, the witness’s location and the deadline.