Playing Defense at 30(b)(6) Depositions (2026 Edition)

Mark Johnson | Offit Kurman

With over three decades of construction, environmental, and real estate litigation experience, Mark Johnson brings seasoned leadership to complex legal challenges. He has served as lead counsel in over 30 jury trials, bench trials, and high-stakes arbitrations, handling disputes across construction, environmental compliance, land use, landlord-tenant issues, oil and gas, real estate, and toxic torts. A trial lawyer, engineer, arbitrator, and mediator, Mark brings a distinctive engineering background to his legal practice, having worked as an engineer for the California Geologic Energy Management Division prior to entering the law.

• Education & Credentials

Mark earned his J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, and holds a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering, which informed his early career as an engineer for the California Geologic Energy Management Division. He is a Pepperdine University, Strauss Institute, trained mediator and a certified arbitrator. He is licensed to practice law in California.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mark is Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® judicial and peer review rated and was recognized by his peers in The Best Lawyers in America©. He was named JD Supra® Readers’ Choice Top Construction Author (2017). He has served as a mediator through the Los Angeles County Superior Court, mediating dozens of cases, and has served as an arbitrator in numerous matters.

• Professional Involvement

A respected author and speaker, Mark regularly shares his insights on legal and regulatory developments impacting the construction industry. He is a frequent contributor to industry discussions on construction law topics and serves as both mediator and arbitrator in complex disputes, drawing on his combined legal and engineering expertise to resolve matters across construction, environmental, and real estate sectors.

• Experience

Mark’s construction law practice encompasses representing owners, general contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals in private and public works disputes. His experience includes resolving claims involving extra work, changed conditions, delays, loss of productivity, defective workmanship, product liability for construction materials, insurance coverage for construction defect claims and property damage claims (including fire damage claims), and California contractor licensing laws. He has successfully navigated construction disputes in state and federal courts across multiple states and before the federal Civilian Board of Contract Appeals and California’s Public Works Contract Arbitration program. Mark has represented prominent companies and public entities including ARCO, Bank of America, Dow, Kinder Morgan, Dignity Health, Kajima Engineering and Construction, the City of Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the County of Los Angeles. In the environmental realm, Mark has litigated cases involving CERCLA, the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, CEQA, RCRA, the Toxic Substances Control Act, the California Coastal Act, the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act, the Carpenter-Presley Hazardous Substances Account Act, Proposition 65, and other environmental regulations. His work includes addressing petroleum products and hazardous substance contamination of soil and groundwater, toxic tort claims arising from exposure to substances including asbestos and benzene, performing due diligence on environmental conditions in corporate and real estate transactions, and insurance coverage for environmental contamination. He also advises on compliance with environmental laws, defending clients in enforcement actions initiated by agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Air Resources Board, and various California water quality boards. Mark also represents credit

Sarah Rawls | Butler Snow LLP

Sarah Rawls is a member of Butler Snow’s Commercial Litigation and Data Privacy & Security groups, where she represents a diverse range of companies, including manufacturers, distributors, and service providers, in complex disputes from inception through resolution. Her practice spans the full litigation lifecycle, beginning with pre-suit investigations and advising, strategic risk assessments, and early dispute resolution, and extending to serving as trial counsel in courtrooms and arbitration hearings. Sarah routinely handles cases in federal and state courts nationwide as well as in arbitration tribunals, with a practice centered on contract disputes, data privacy and cybersecurity matters, class actions, and insurance coverage and bad-faith claims.

• Education & Credentials

Sarah earned her J.D., cum laude, from Cumberland School of Law in 2021, where she served as Managing Editor of Volume 50 of the Cumberland Law Review, acted as an Admissions Ambassador, and completed judicial externships for the Hon. R. David Proctor, Annemarie C. Axon, and the Hon. John H. England in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. She holds a B.B.A. in Real Estate, cum laude, from the University of Georgia (2017) and completed the Emory University Women in Leadership Program in 2023. Sarah is admitted to practice in Colorado (2025), Alabama (2022), and Tennessee (2021), and before the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Middle, and Southern Districts of Alabama and the Western District of Tennessee. Before joining Butler Snow, she clerked for the Hon. R. David Proctor in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

• Recognition & Leadership

Sarah serves as VP of Membership Development (2024–2025) for the Rotaract Club of Birmingham, where she is a recipient of the Mahon-Peinhardt Director’s Award and has served as Co-Chair of the Professional Development Series and a member of the 2022–2023 Leadership Development Class. Within the Defense Research Institute, she holds leadership positions as the Young Lawyers Committee’s Commercial Litigation Committee Liaison and as a Networking and Activities Committee Member.

• Professional Involvement

Sarah is actively engaged with the Defense Research Institute (DRI), serving on both the Young Lawyers Committee and the Commercial Litigation Committee. She is a member of the American Bar Association, participating in the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (including the Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Committee, Business Litigation Committee, and Women Trial Lawyers Committee), as well as the Litigation Section and Young Lawyers Division. She is also a member of the Birmingham Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and the Alabama Defense Lawyers Association. Sarah has contributed to the field through speaking and writing, including as a speaker on “Discovery Jeopardy” at the DRI 2024 Young Lawyers Seminar, author of “The Few, the Proud, the Women in Leadership: Lessons in Resiliency” in the ABA Journal (Spring 2022), author of “Employment Law Update, Workplace Violence” for CLE Alabama, presenter of “OSHA’s Vaccine/Testing Mandate is Here: Now What?,” and author of Lewis v. City of Union City: “Similarly Situated” Definition Clarified in the Cumberland Law Review Online. She also contributes to her community through Girls, Inc. of Central Alabama’s Committee of 25, the United Way of Central Alabama Young Philanthropists Society, and as a University of Georgia Student Mentor.

• Experience

Sarah has served on the Southeastern defense team representing a global vehicle distributor in multidistrict litigation involving alleged vehicle vulnerabilities, securing multiple dismissals at the pleading stage. She secured dismissal of a purported class action against a national food distributor and obtained a defense verdict in favor of a national logistics company following a state court bench trial. She was a member of the team securing summary judgment on behalf of a national technology company facing over $15 million in personal injury claims, and a member of the trial team defending a national insurance company in a week-long federal court jury trial involving a homeowner’s policy, where the jury returned a defense verdict. Sarah has also represented clients in business disputes across a variety of arbitration forums, including the National Grain and Feed Association and CAP-Motors forums.

David G. Mayhan | Butler Snow LLP

David Gregory Mayhan is a member of Butler Snow’s Tort, Transportation, & Specialized Litigation Group, with a practice concentrated in commercial litigation, construction law, insurance, personal injury, and product liability defense. Practicing law since 1985, he has achieved defense verdicts across construction, personal injury, and commercial law trials and arbitrations. He previously served as a partner in a Denver boutique litigation firm and, prior to that, as a senior attorney for a Fortune 500 insurance company, where his responsibilities included litigation and supervising outside counsel in litigation.

• Education & Credentials

David earned his Juris Doctor, with honors, from the University of Iowa School of Law in 1985, where he served as Note and Comment Editor of the Journal of Corporation Law. He holds a B.S. in Political Science and Economics from the University of Iowa (1982), where he was a four-year letterman, Varsity Football starter, member of the 1982 Rose Bowl Team, and a Big Ten All-Academic Football Team selection (19801981). He is admitted to practice in Colorado (1985) and Minnesota (1987, inactive), as well as before the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.

• Recognition & Leadership

David carries an AV®–Preeminent™ Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell® and has been named “Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America® for Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants (Denver) in 2020. He has been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for Construction Law (2021–2026), Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Defendants (2015–2026), and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants (2020–2026). He was named a Colorado Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers® for Personal Injury – Products: Defense (2008–2021) and was recognized as one of Law Week Colorado’s Top Litigators in 2020. He served as a board member of the Colorado Defense Lawyers Association (CDLA) from 2014 to 2016 and chaired the 2016 CDLA Trial Academy.

• Professional Involvement

David is a member of the American Bar Association, the Colorado Bar Association, the Minnesota Bar Association, the Colorado Defense Lawyers Association, the Defense Research Institute (DRI), the Faculty of Federal Advocates, the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel (FDCC), and the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Colorado. He is a prolific author and speaker, most recently co-authoring “Practice Pointers & Potential Pitfalls of a Corporate Deposition” in the 2024 Litigation Update: Navigating Emerging Trends and Technology (March 2024). He authored “Technology in the Courtroom” (Chapter 23) in the Colorado Courtroom Handbook for Civil Trials, Fourth Ed., and co-authored “Surge in Apartment Construction Fuels Condo Conversions, Liability Concerns in Denver” in Law Week Colorado (October 2018). He served as Director of the Colorado Defense Lawyers Association Annual Trial Academy (2016), Co-Director of the CDLA “Boot Camp” for Young Lawyers (2017), and moderated Bisnow Denver’s “Designing and Constructing Denver as a Placemaking Hub” panel in 2019. Additional publications include articles on the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (Colorado Lawyer, 1999), federal preemption of strict liability claims in aviation litigation (Tort & Ins. L.J., 1992), and antitrust standing (J. Corp. Law, 1985). He supports the Boomer Esiason Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through his civic involvement.

• Experience

David served as lead trial counsel in a defense verdict for a municipality in a U.S. District Court trial in Denver where the plaintiff claimed in excess of $7 million in damages, and as lead trial counsel in a Denver District Court jury trial where his contractor client was deemed the prevailing party in a lawsuit by a homeowner’s association seeking over $3.5 million in alleged construction defects. He obtained summary judgment for a third-party defendant in large, complex construction defect claims involving approximately $40 million in alleged repair costs and other damages, and was a member of a trial team defending a products supplier facing over $50 million in claims, which obtained a favorable verdict after a six-week trial in the U.S. District Court, District of Colorado. David prosecuted counterclaims related to construction defects in a major utilities installation after being hired 90 days before arbitration for a large residential real estate development, and successfully defended a contractor in commercial disputes concerning zoning and construction of a commercial warehouse/office building. He was a member of the trial team defending a former fraternity president in a high-profile wrongful death claim arising from a hazing incident at the University of Colorado, and a member of a trial team prosecuting a breach of contract claim and defending business tort and Title VII discrimination claims over a natural gas supply contract, where the client obtained a judgment in excess of $700,000 at a jury trial. He obtained summary judgment for a consumer product manufacturer in an alleged electrocution case involving negligence and product liability claims, and served on the trial team defending a major industrial parts supplier in a six-week jury trial addressing alleged violations of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, negligence, and product liability claims. David also represented a major local automotive and industrial parts supplier in a case alleging copyright, trade secret, and unfair competition claims for over $40 million in damages, litigating sanctions against the opponent for destruction of evidence during litigation, with extensive discovery in Japan. His representative matters include Cross Continent Development LLC v. Town of Akron, Lanahan v. Chi Psi Fraternity, R. Horton, Inc. v. AAA Waterproofing, Inc., Lewis-DeBoer v. Mooney Aircraft Corp., Gates Rubber Co. v. Bando Chem. Indus., Inc., and Jarnagin v. Banker’s Life & Cas. Co.

Natalie DuBose | Haynes and Boone LLP

Natalie DuBose is a Partner in Haynes Boone’s Dallas office and an insurancerecovery professional who has successfully represented a number of businesses—large and small—under all types of commercial insurance policies, including directors and officers, commercial general liability, property, errors and omissions, builder’s risk, fidelity, and cyber. With a decade of experience helping businesses navigate complex insurance disputes, Natalie has developed a business-oriented approach to insurance recovery and a unique understanding of her clients’ goals, actively consulting with clients on cost-effective solutions to manage risk and maximize insurance recovery. She has worked with dozens of clients in the financial services, construction, and healthcare sectors to recover under claims following significant litigation events or natural disasters, with a consistent track record of success in representing corporate policyholders in coverage disputes in state and federal courts across Texas and beyond, as well as in arbitrations, mediations, and appeals at the state and federal level.

• Education & Credentials

Natalie earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 2012, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and served as Associate Air Law Symposium Editor of the SMU Law Review Association. She holds a B.B.A. in Marketing, magna cum laude, from Texas A&M University (2006). During law school, she served as a Judicial Extern to the Honorable Barbara M.G. Lynn, United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (August–December 2010). Natalie is admitted to practice in Texas and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts of Texas, and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

• Recognition & Leadership

Natalie has been recognized by Chambers USA (Chambers and Partners) for Insurance in 2025, by The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White, Inc.) for Insurance Law every year from 2019 to 2025, and by The Legal 500 U.S. (Legalese) in 2025. She has been named a Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star by Thomson Reuters (2021–2022) and included in the Texas Super Lawyers Women’s Edition Rising Stars directory (2023). D Magazine recognized her as one of the “Best Lawyers in Dallas” in Insurance Law in 2025. She serves as Chair of the Dallas Bar Association’s Tort and Insurance Practice Section (Chair, 2022; Chair-Elect, 2021), having served as a Board Member since 2016.

• Professional Involvement

Natalie is deeply engaged with the American Bar Association, serving as Program Chair (2023) and Program Vice-Chair (2022) of the Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee, and as Co-Chair of the Women In Insurance Network in both 2018 and 2020. She served as National Marketing Director for Young Risk Professionals (2018–2019) and was a member of the Patrick E. Higginbotham Inn of Court (2015–2016). She is also a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Dallas Bar Association. A prolific writer and speaker, Natalie most recently co-authored “The Corporate Representative Deposition: Preparation, Privilege, and Practice Tips” (May 2023) and previously co-authored “The Corporate Representative Deposition: Differences in State and Federal Courts” for the 26th Annual Advanced Evidence & Discovery Court (Texas Bar CLE, 2013). Her publications include authorship of the “Path to Coverage for Covid-19 Losses” (Texas Insurance Law Journal, October 2020), co-authorship of the “Insurance Toolkit: Tools for the Personal Injury Attorney” (24th Annual Advanced Personal Injury Law CLE, 2018), “Policyholder Approach to Discovery Disputes” (Property Litigator’s Handbook: Second Edition, 2013), “Fracking – There’s Coverage For That” (Law360, 2013), and two law review articles published in the Journal of Air Law & Commerce (2011). She has spoken at the State Bar of Texas Business Disputes Conference, the Texas Bar CLE Advanced Insurance Law seminar, the Texas Insurance Academy CLE, the Dallas Bar Association Tort and Insurance Section, and served as Insurance Mock Trial Presenter at the 52nd and 53rd Academy of International and American Law.

• Experience

Natalie represented the Boy Scouts of America in a multi-week trial over its plan of reorganization as insurance trial counsel, taking the cross-examination of a key expert witness. She represented a Dallas mixed-use developer in a dispute with its insurer over millions of dollars in property damage resulting from historical faulty construction, and, in a rare victory, secured business-income losses for COVID-19 for a theme park client under event cancellation policies. She has represented hospitals in disputes with insurers over business interruption losses caused by Hurricane Harvey and damages to supplies caused by electrical storms. Natalie advised a national real estate investment group regarding coverage for storage facility damage in the Southeast; counseled an oil field service company on strategy to maximize defense and indemnity coverage following significant personal injury litigation; and advised a financial institution after a significant cyber breach regarding strategy to maximize coverage from cyber and ransom policies. She obtained a summary judgment victory for a luxury property developer in its claim for millions in cleanup costs following natural disaster damage to a protected preserve area, and represented a pipeline company in a dispute with its property insurer over rerouting a pipeline resulting from significant sinkhole damage. Additional representations include advising a telecommunication-products company on insurance and warranty implications of national product roll-outs; representing a financial institution in a claim against its insurer under a banker’s blanket bond insurance following a forgery and theft scheme; representing an architect in a summary jury trial against construction liability claims by the owner of a water treatment plant; representing a hotel chain in multi-property damage claims following significant hailstorms; representing a multi-family developer in litigation against a liability insurer over defense and indemnity obligations involving alleged property damage at three properties; representing the developer of an iconic hotel in a title-insurance dispute regarding coverage for underlying property litigation costs; and obtaining a Court of Appeals victory in a contract dispute case over whether personal jurisdiction was established. She has also negotiated insurance on behalf of real estate clients in connection with M&A transactions and counseled clients on D&O and cyber renewals to maximize coverage with pro-policyholder language.

David Taubenfeld | Haynes and Boone LLP

David Taubenfeld is a Partner in Haynes Boone’s Dallas office who represents policyholders in every kind of dispute they may have with their insurers. He finds coverage where others may not look, attempting to secure coverage for his clients through negotiation and diplomacy before litigation becomes necessary. When litigation becomes necessary, he litigates aggressively, always with the goal of securing coverage for his clients quickly and economically. David has secured millions of dollars in coverage for his clients through negotiation and litigation. He represents corporate and individual insureds in coverage and badfaith lawsuits and arbitrations against insurance carriers under Directors’ and Officers’ Liability, First Party Property/Business Interruption, Errors and Omissions, Professional Liability, General Liability, Fidelity Surety Bonds, Performance and Payment, Primary, Excess, and Umbrella insurance policies. David also litigates construction matters for architects, engineers, contractors, and owners, handling both the construction disputes themselves and any related insurance coverage matters.

• Education & Credentials

David earned his J.D. from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in 1985, where he served as Leading Articles Editor of the Southwestern Law Review. He holds a B.A. from Pomona College (1982) and speaks French, German, and Spanish. David is admitted to practice in Texas and before the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of Texas.

• Recognition & Leadership

David is AV® Peer Review Rated Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell® Law Directory. He has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White, Inc.) for Insurance Law from 2013 to 2026 and for Litigation – Construction from 2021 to 2026. He has been recognized in D Magazine’s “Best Lawyers in Dallas” (D Magazine Partners) in 2018, 2020, and 2024–2025. He was named “Appellate Lawyer of the Week” by Texas Lawyer (ALM Media Properties, LLC) on December 2, 2013. In 2024, David was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel.

• Professional Involvement

David is a Fellow of the American College of Coverage Counsel (elected 2024) and a member of the American Bar Association, the College of the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Bar Foundation, the American Trial Lawyers Association, and RIMS (Associate Member). He is a frequent author and speaker on insurance coverage, construction, and M&A transactional insurance topics. Most recently, David co-authored “The Corporate Representative Deposition: Preparation, Privilege, and Practice Tips” (May 17, 2023). His speaking engagements include “Going Beyond the Four Corners of RWI: Other Products Related to M&A Deals” at the American Conference Institute’s M&A, RWI and Transactional Risk Insurance conference (New York, 2019); “Close the Deal: Think Insurance! How M&A Insurance Can Get You Over the Risk Hurdle” at TexasBarCLE Advanced In-House Counsel (San Antonio, 2019); “Representation and Warranty Insurance in Connection with M&A Transactions” at the 16th Annual Advanced Business Law Course – TexasBar CLE (Dallas, 2018); “What Policyholders Expect from Transactional Coverage in Today’s Market” at the ACI M&A, RWI and Transactional Risk Insurance Conference (New York, 2018); “Structuring Construction Contract Insurance, Indemnification and Limitations on Liability Clauses” (Strafford webinar, 2018); “Insuring International and Cross Border M&A Transactions” at the National Advanced Forum on M&A Liability (New York, 2016); “Beyond Reps and Warranties Insurance” at the ACI Transactional Insurance Forum (New York, 2016); and “Fundamentals of Construction Contracts: Understanding the Issues” at Lorman Education Seminars (2011). Additional publications include “Joint Defense Agreements: How To Make Them and How To Break Them” and “Disputes Between Insurance Carriers and Agents.”

• Experience

David’s practice focuses on representing policyholders in coverage and bad-faith disputes with their insurers across a comprehensive range of commercial insurance policies, including Directors’ and Officers’ Liability, First Party Property/Business Interruption, Errors and Omissions, Professional Liability, General Liability, Fidelity Surety Bonds, Performance and Payment, Primary, Excess, and Umbrella insurance policies. He secures coverage for corporate and individual insureds through both negotiation and aggressive litigation, consistently working to resolve matters quickly and economically, and has secured millions of dollars in coverage for his clients. In addition to his insurance recovery practice, David litigates construction matters on behalf of architects, engineers, contractors, and owners, handling both the underlying construction disputes and any related insurance coverage matters. His practice spans litigation, insurance recovery, international arbitration, privacy and cybersecurity, construction litigation, trials, distressed transactions, and financial services investigations and enforcement.

SESSION 1 – Responding To a Voluminous and Potentially Objectionable 30(B)(6) Deposition Notice | 1:00pm – 1:30pm

Walk through a defense-oriented playbook for handling overbroad Rule 30(b)(6) notices. Assess reasonable particularity, identify common defects, serve targeted objections, narrow topics through meet-and-confer, and escalate to Rule 26(c) protective orders when necessary.

SESSION 2 – Drafting an Effective Rule 30 (b)(6) Notice of Deposition | 1:30pm – 2:00pm

Examine why effective drafting requires mastery of the rule and clarity on case themes. Move from the 2020 good-faith conferral amendments into practical planning and examples of topics that work well versus questions to avoid.

BREAK | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

SESSION 3 – From Deposition to Verdict: Offensive and Defensive Tactics of Rule 30(b)(6) Witnesses | 2:10pm – 3:10pm

Explore strategic offensive and defensive applications of Rule 30(b)(6) depositions. Cover selecting and preparing corporate representatives, defending depositions, leveraging testimony at trial for impeachment and summary judgment, and emerging case law on adequacy of preparation.