Litigation Lawyers in South Amboy

Civil depositions happen during civil litigation in South Amboy, New Jersey. They are part of the discovery procedure.

Discovery, in South Amboy, New Jersey is a very critical 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 South Amboy, New Jersey, 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 South Amboy, New Jersey

Depositions are usually conducted in South Amboy, New Jersey 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 everyone 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.

It should not be any shock, then, that civil depositions in South Amboy, New Jersey can go on for a very long time. If you are contacted to appear in a deposition in South Amboy, New Jersey, this can be a major headache.

Because of this fact, the law in South Amboy, New Jersey permits witnesses who are appearing for depositions to be compensated for the expense associated with it. This includes reimbursement for gas, lodging, and food. They can also be paid a certain amount of money for every hour they testify, to compensate them for their time. However, this money can only be conditioned on the witness showing up and giving truthful testimony. Trying to condition it on the witness testifying in a certain way ceases to be compensation, and becomes bribery, which is a crime.

Remember, when you give a deposition in South Amboy, New Jersey, you're under oath. This means that you are under an absolute requirement to tell the truth. If you deliberately lie while under oath, you are committing perjury. Perjury is a serious crime, and can be punished by fines and imprisonment.

How Can A South Amboy, New Jersey Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a South Amboy, New Jersey lawsuit and are obligated 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 are not a party to the lawsuit, but are subpoenaed to testify in a deposition, you should at least contact with a South Amboy, New Jersey attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.