Litigation Lawyers in West Milford

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

Discovery, in West Milford, 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 West Milford, 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 West Milford, New Jersey

Depositions are typically conducted in West Milford, 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 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.

West Milford, New Jersey 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 West Milford, New Jersey civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

Therefore, West Milford, New Jersey's civil procedure rules permit a person to be compensated for the time and money they spend in appearing at a deposition. If the witness lives far away from the location of the deposition, as is sometimes the case in large trials, they can be reimbursed for travel and lodging expenses, and compensated for their time. However, this money cannot be used to influence HOW they testify, just to mitigate the inconvenience associated with testifying.

If you are called to a deposition in West Milford, 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 West Milford, New Jersey Lawyer Help?

If you are directly engaged in a lawsuit in West Milford, New Jersey, 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 engaged in the case, but have been subpoenaed to appear in a deposition as a witness in West Milford, New Jersey, 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.