Litigation Lawyers in Guilford County

Civil depositions happen during civil litigation in Guilford County, North Carolina. They are part of the discovery procedure.

"Discovery" is a procedure that happens before a trial in Guilford County, North Carolina. During the discovery process, both sides are obligated to make relevant information available to each other.

In Guilford County, North Carolina, one way to acquire relevant evidence is to ask persons involved in the dispute (both parties and witnesses) about their knowledge of the matter. This is done through a civil deposition. It is essentially a question and answer session between a lawyer, and a witness or party to the action. A lawyer for the other side is present, as well as a court reporter or videographer. The lawyer asks questions of the person being deposed, who must answer them under oath.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Guilford County, North Carolina

Depositions in Guilford County, North Carolina serve a very significant purpose: obtaining testimony on the record, and admitted as evidence, when there is some reason to suspect that the witness won't be able to appear in court during trial, because of health, possible incarceration, or any other reason.

It should not be any shock, then, that civil depositions in Guilford County, North Carolina can go on for a very long time. If you are contacted to appear in a deposition in Guilford County, North Carolina, this can be a huge headache.

Thus, Guilford County, North Carolina's civil procedure rules permit a person to be compensated for the time and money they spend in appearing at a deposition. If the witness lives far away from the location of the deposition, as is occasionally the case in large trials, they can be reimbursed for travel and lodging expenses, and compensated for their time. However, this money cannot be used to influence HOW they testify, just to mitigate the inconvenience linked with testifying.

When giving a deposition in Guilford County, North Carolina, be sure to answer all of the questions honestly, and to the absolute best of your knowledge. You will be sworn in before the deposition starts, and you will be under oath, just as if you were in open court. Thus, if you lie, you are committing perjury, which can land you in jail.

How Can A Guilford County, North Carolina Lawyer Help?

If you are the defendant or plaintiff in a lawsuit, chances are good that you'll have to appear in a deposition. You should, by this time, already be represented by a Guilford County, North Carolina civil litigation attorney. You should do whatever they tell you to do (unless, of course, they tell you to lie, in that case you should find a new lawyer).

If you are not a party to the lawsuit, but are subpoenaed to testify in a deposition, you should at least contact with a Guilford County, North Carolina attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.