Litigation Lawyers in Montgomery County

In Montgomery County, Alabama, a civil deposition is a part of the discovery process in civil litigation.

"Discovery" is a process that occurs before a trial in Montgomery County, Alabama. During the discovery process, both sides are required to make relevant information available to each other.

One way to acquire this information in Montgomery County, Alabama is to conduct a deposition. A deposition, at its core, is a fairly simple process. A deposition is a question and answer session conducted outside the courtroom. Normally, it takes place in the office space of an attorney representing one of the parties. There are a few people who are almost always present at the deposition: there's the person being deposed, the lawyer who is going to be asking the questions, a lawyer representing the other side of the lawsuit, who can object to any questions being asked (a judge can rule on the objections later), and a court reporter or video recorder, to ensure that the testimony ends up on the record.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Montgomery County, Alabama

Depositions in Montgomery County, Alabama are meant to get verbal testimony on the record and into evidence, when there is concern that the person being deposed might be unable to show up and testify at trial, or their testimony will take far too long for them to testify at trial.

It should not be any surprise, then, that civil depositions in Montgomery County, Alabama can go on for a very long time. If you are called to appear in a deposition in Montgomery County, Alabama, this can be a massive headache.

Because of this fact, the law in Montgomery County, Alabama allows witnesses who are appearing for depositions to be compensated for the expense associated with it. This includes reimbursement for gas, lodging, and food. They can also be paid a certain amount of money for every hour they testify, to compensate them for their time. However, this money can only be conditioned on the witness showing up and giving truthful testimony. Trying to condition it on the witness testifying in a particular way ceases to be compensation, and becomes bribery, which is a crime.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Montgomery County, Alabama, you're under oath. This means that you are under an absolute obligation to tell the truth. If you deliberately lie while under oath, you are committing perjury. Perjury is a serious crime, and can be punished by fines and imprisonment.

How Can A Montgomery County, Alabama Lawyer Help?

If you are a party to a lawsuit, and are called to a deposition, chances are you're already represented by a , Alabama attorney. Obviously, you should follow their advice with respect to the deposition.

If you're not a party to the case, but have relevant information, you might be subpoenaed to appear in a deposition. In this case, you probably don't need to hire a Montgomery County, Alabama litigation attorney, but it would not be a bad idea to seek out a brief consultation with one, to get an idea of what to expect.