Litigation Lawyers in Waynesboro

Civil depositions happen during civil litigation in Waynesboro, Mississippi. They are part of the discovery procedure.

In Waynesboro, Mississippi, "discovery" is a procedure that happens before a civil trial, during which both sides are obligated to disclose relevant evidence to the other.

One way to receive this information in Waynesboro, Mississippi 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. Normally, 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 Waynesboro, Mississippi

Depositions are normally conducted in Waynesboro, Mississippi 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 everyone 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.

Waynesboro, Mississippi 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 Waynesboro, Mississippi civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Waynesboro, Mississippi normally 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 provide testimony that's beneficial to one side or the other.

If you are being deposed in Waynesboro, Mississippi 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 prosecuted with perjury, which can carry jail time.

How Can A Waynesboro, Mississippi Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Waynesboro, Mississippi 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 are not a party to the lawsuit, but are subpoenaed to testify in a deposition, you should at least contact with a Waynesboro, Mississippi attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.