Litigation Lawyers in Belmont

A civil deposition in Belmont, Massachusetts happens in many civil litigation cases, as part of the discovery procedure.

Discovery, in Belmont, Massachusetts is a very essential 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.

In Belmont, Massachusetts, 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 Belmont, Massachusetts

In Belmont, Massachusetts, the main reason to conduct a deposition, as opposed to having someone testify in court, is to save time. After days of depositions, the jury can be presented with just the relevant testimony, if the case goes to trial. Additionally, it's a good idea to conduct a deposition if there's any reason to believe that the witness will not be able to show up to court to testify, due to bad health, or any other reason.

Belmont, Massachusetts civil depositions can go on for a long time - sometimes going for a week or more. If you get subpoenaed to provide your testimony in a Belmont, Massachusetts civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Belmont, Massachusetts 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 significant problem: this would amount bribery, and it is a serious offense.

If you are called to a deposition in Belmont, Massachusetts, it's absolutely imperative that you answer all the questions truthfully, to the best of your knowledge. When testifying in a deposition, you are under oath, just as you would be in open court. Deliberately lying in a deposition is perjury, which is a serious crime.

How Can A Belmont, Massachusetts Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Belmont, Massachusetts lawsuit and are obligated 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're not a party to the case, but have relevant information, you might be subpoenaed to appear in a deposition. In this case, you likely don't need to hire a Belmont, Massachusetts litigation attorney, but it would not be a bad idea to seek out a brief consultation with one, to get an idea of what to expect.