Litigation Lawyers in Jamestown

Civil depositions occur during civil litigation in Jamestown, North Dakota. They are part of the discovery process.

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

One way to get this information in Jamestown, North Dakota 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. Typically, 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 Jamestown, North Dakota

Depositions in Jamestown, North Dakota 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.

Jamestown, North Dakota civil depositions can go on for a long time - occasionally going for a week or more. If you get subpoenaed to give your testimony in a Jamestown, North Dakota civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Jamestown, North Dakota permits witnesses who are appearing in depositions to be paid a set amount of money for their time, and reimbursed for travel expenses. However, if there is any evidence that this money is being used to influence a witness' testimony, there is going to be a serious problem: this would amount bribery, and it is a serious offense.

If you are being deposed in Jamestown, North Dakota you absolutely must answer all the questions truthfully and completely, to the best of your knowledge. You are under oath, and if you lie, and are caught, you could be charged with perjury, which can carry jail time.

How Can A Jamestown, North Dakota Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost certainly already have a Jamestown, North Dakota lawyer. If either party to the lawsuit calls you for a deposition, your lawyer will have plenty of advice for you. You should, of course, follow that advice to the letter.

If you're not a party to a lawsuit in Jamestown, North Dakota, but have knowledge about some of the facts that are at issue in a pending case, you might still be called to appear in a deposition. In that case, you probably don't need to hire a lawyer.