Litigation Lawyers in Trinity

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

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

In Trinity, 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 Trinity, North Carolina

Depositions are usually conducted in Trinity, 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.

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

To mitigate this, the law of Trinity, 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.

In Trinity, North Carolina depositions, everyone being deposed is under oath. This means that you are legally and morally obligated to answer every question truthfully. If you deliberately misrepresent your knowledge (lie), you are guilty of perjury. And if you're caught, you could end up facing jail time and/or some very steep fines.

How Can A Trinity, North Carolina Lawyer Help?

If you are directly involved in a lawsuit in Trinity, 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 during the deposition.

If, on the other hand, you're not directly involved in the case, but have been subpoenaed to appear in a deposition as a witness in Trinity, North Carolina, you may not need to hire a lawyer. The lawyers for both sides will probably prep you for the deposition, giving you an idea of what to expect.