Litigation Lawyers in Ketchikan

In Ketchikan, Alaska, a civil deposition is a part of the discovery process in civil litigation.

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

In Ketchikan, Alaska, one way to get this information is to find the people involved in the dispute (whether they're witnesses or parties), and ask them questions about the issues you believe them to have knowledge of. A civil deposition is usually a pretty simple process: the person being deposed is sworn in (they are under oath, just as if they were in a courtroom). Because the whole point of a deposition is to get testimony on the record, a stenographer or video technician will also be present, recording the whole deposition. The lawyer then asks questions of the witness, and the lawyers for the other side are able to object to certain lines of questioning, if they wish.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Ketchikan, Alaska

Depositions in Ketchikan, Alaska 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.

Civil Depositions in Ketchikan, Alaska, can take a very long time to be completed, usually lasting several days, and sometimes going on for weeks. So, people who are called to give depositions in Ketchikan, Alaska should be prepared for some significant inconvenience.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Ketchikan, Alaska allows 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 Ketchikan, Alaska 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 Ketchikan, Alaska Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Ketchikan, Alaska 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 Ketchikan, Alaska attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.