Litigation Lawyers in Mount Airy

Civil depositions happen during civil litigation in Mount Airy, North Carolina. They are part of the discovery procedure.

"Discovery" is a procedure that happens before a trial in Mount Airy, North Carolina. During the discovery process, both sides are obligated to make relevant information available to each other.

In Mount Airy, North Carolina, 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 Mount Airy, North Carolina

If the parties believe that a witness in Mount Airy, North Carolina won't be able to show up in court to testify during trial, because of age, bad health, upcoming military deployment, possible incarceration, or any other reason, a deposition is a very good way to get their testimony on the record before the trial. Additionally, if they have to be questioned for several days, it is a good way to save the court's time.

It should not be any shock, then, that civil depositions in Mount Airy, North Carolina can go on for a very long time. If you are contacted to appear in a deposition in Mount Airy, North Carolina, this can be a huge headache.

Because of this fact, the law in Mount Airy, North Carolina permits witnesses who are appearing for depositions to be compensated for the expense associated with it. This includes reimbursement for gas, lodging, and food. They can also be paid a certain amount of money for every hour they testify, to compensate them for their time. However, this money can only be conditioned on the witness showing up and giving truthful testimony. Trying to condition it on the witness testifying in a specific way ceases to be compensation, and becomes bribery, which is a crime.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Mount Airy, North Carolina, you're under oath. This means that you are under an absolute requirement 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 Mount Airy, North Carolina Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Mount Airy, North Carolina 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 Mount Airy, North Carolina 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.