Litigation Lawyers in Portage

Civil depositions occur during Portage, Wisconsin civil litigation, as part of the discovery process.

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

In Portage, Wisconsin, 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 Portage, Wisconsin

Depositions are typically conducted in Portage, Wisconsin if a person's testimony will take several days, or more, to deliver. By doing this before a trial, the jury can be presented just with the testimony that turns out to be relevant, saving everybody a good deal of time. It is also useful if there is any reason to suspect that the witness will be unable to show up in court.

Portage, Wisconsin 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 Portage, Wisconsin civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Portage, Wisconsin typically entitles people being deposed to reimbursement. They can be compensated for travel expenses, lodging, and a can be given a small amount of money simply for their time. However, this is meant to be reimbursement for the time and expense incurred in attending a deposition, and it is most definitely not payment for the witness to give testimony that's advantageous to one side or the other.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Portage, Wisconsin, 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 Portage, Wisconsin Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Portage, Wisconsin lawsuit and are required to appear at a deposition, one would hope that you've already retained a lawyer by this stage in the proceedings. Your attorney will have a lot of advice for you, which you should of course follow.

If you are not a party to the case, but are subpoenaed to testify in a deposition, you should at least consult with a Portage, Wisconsin attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.