Litigation Lawyers in Trent Woods

Civil depositions occur during civil litigation in Trent Woods, North Carolina. They are part of the discovery process.

"Discovery" is a process that occurs before a trial in Trent Woods, North Carolina. During the discovery process, both sides are required to make relevant information available to each other.

In Trent Woods, North Carolina, one way to obtain relevant evidence is to ask people 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 Trent Woods, North Carolina

Depositions are usually conducted in Trent Woods, North Carolina 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 everybody 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.

Trent Woods, North Carolina civil depositions can go on for a long time - occasionally going for a week or more. If you get subpoenaed to give your testimony in a Trent Woods, North Carolina civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Trent Woods, North Carolina usually 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 give testimony that's favorable to one side or the other.

If you are being deposed in Trent Woods, North Carolina 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 charged with perjury, which can carry jail time.

How Can A Trent Woods, North Carolina Lawyer Help?

If you are the defendant or plaintiff in a lawsuit, chances are good that you'll have to appear in a deposition. You should, by this point, already be represented by a Trent Woods, North Carolina civil litigation attorney. You should do whatever they tell you to do (unless, of course, they tell you to lie, in which case you should find a new lawyer).

If you are not directly involved in the lawsuit, you might still have to appear at a deposition, if you have information that's relevant to the case in Trent Woods, North Carolina. You probably 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.