Litigation Lawyers in Hastings

Civil depositions occur during civil litigation in Hastings, Nebraska. They are part of the discovery process.

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

One way to acquire this information in Hastings, Nebraska is to conduct a deposition. A deposition, at its core, is a fairly simple process. A deposition is a question and answer session conducted outside the courtroom. Typically, it takes place in the office space of an attorney representing one of the parties. There are a few people who are almost always present at the deposition: there's the person being deposed, the lawyer who is going to be asking the questions, a lawyer representing the other side of the lawsuit, who can object to any questions being asked (a judge can rule on the objections later), and a court reporter or video recorder, to ensure that the testimony ends up on the record.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Hastings, Nebraska

Depositions are typically conducted in Hastings, Nebraska 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.

Hastings, Nebraska 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 Hastings, Nebraska civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Hastings, Nebraska typically 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 advantageous to one side or the other.

If you are being deposed in Hastings, Nebraska 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 Hastings, Nebraska Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Hastings, Nebraska lawsuit and are required 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 a lawsuit in Hastings, Nebraska, but have knowledge about some of the facts that are at issue in a pending case, you might still be called to appear in a deposition. In that case, you probably don't need to hire a lawyer.