Litigation Lawyers in Pineville

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

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

In Pineville, 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 Pineville, North Carolina

If the parties believe that a witness in Pineville, 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.

Pineville, 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 a Pineville, North Carolina civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Pineville, North Carolina 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 Pineville, North Carolina, 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 Pineville, North Carolina Lawyer Help?

If you are directly engaged in a lawsuit in Pineville, North Carolina, and have to appear at a deposition, you should already be represented by a lawyer. It goes without saying that you should do whatever they advise you to do throughout the deposition.

If you are not directly engaged in the lawsuit, you might still have to appear at a deposition, if you have information that's relevant to the case in Pineville, North Carolina. You likely don't need to hire a lawyer in that case, but it might be a good idea to at least get a consultation from one.