Litigation Lawyers in Columbus

In Columbus, Georgia, a civil deposition is a part of the discovery process in civil litigation.

Discovery, in Columbus, Georgia is a very crucial step in the civil litigation process. It is when all of the relevant evidence is gathered by both sides, and, generally, each side must disclose that evidence to the other.

One of the most effective ways to acquire information relevant to a lawsuit in Columbus, Georgia is to conduct a deposition of a party who you believe to be privy to that information. A deposition is a Q&A session between an attorney representing one of the parties to a lawsuit, and someone who has knowledge relevant to the lawsuit. This can be one of the parties, or a witness. The person being deposed is sworn in, and must answer all of the questions presented to them under oath. An attorney representing the other side can object to lines of questioning, on every grounds that would be valid during in-court testimony. The purpose of this is primarily to get the objection on the record, but if it proves to be a major sticking point, a judge can rule on the objections later. If any questions are found to be invalid, the questions, and their answers, will not be shown to the jury during trial. This is much more effective than simply instructing the jury to disregard a question and answer they've already heard.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Columbus, Georgia

Depositions in Columbus, Georgia 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.

Columbus, Georgia 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 Columbus, Georgia civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Columbus, Georgia authorizes 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 Columbus, Georgia 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 Columbus, Georgia Lawyer Help?

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

If you're not a party to a lawsuit in Columbus, Georgia, 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.