Litigation Lawyers in Oxford

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

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

In Oxford, North Carolina, one way to get relevant evidence is to ask individuals 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 Oxford, North Carolina

If the parties believe that a witness in Oxford, 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. Furthermore, if they have to be questioned for several days, it is a good way to save the court's time.

Oxford, North Carolina 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 an Oxford, North Carolina civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Oxford, North Carolina 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.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Oxford, 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 Oxford, North Carolina Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost definitely already have an Oxford, North Carolina lawyer. If either party to the lawsuit calls you for a deposition, your lawyer will have plenty of advice for you. You should, of course, follow that advice to the letter.

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 an Oxford, 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.