Litigation Lawyers in North Wildwood

Civil depositions occur during civil litigation in North Wildwood, New Jersey. They are part of the discovery process.

Discovery, in North Wildwood, New Jersey is a very crucial step in the civil litigation process. It is when all of the relevant evidence is gathered by both sides, and, generally, each side must disclose that evidence to the other.

In North Wildwood, New Jersey, 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 North Wildwood, New Jersey

Depositions in North Wildwood, New Jersey serve a very important purpose: acquiring testimony on the record, and admitted as evidence, when there is some reason to suspect that the witness won't be able to appear in court during trial, because of health, potential incarceration, or any other reason.

Civil Depositions in North Wildwood, New Jersey, can take a very long time to be completed, typically lasting several days, and sometimes going on for weeks. So, people who are called to give depositions in North Wildwood, New Jersey should be prepared for some substantial inconvenience.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, North Wildwood, New Jersey 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 serious problem: this would amount bribery, and it is a serious offense.

If you are called to a deposition in North Wildwood, New Jersey, 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 North Wildwood, New Jersey Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost certainly already have a North Wildwood, New Jersey 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 probably don't need to hire a North Wildwood, New Jersey 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.