Litigation Lawyers in Beacon

Civil depositions happen during civil litigation in Beacon, New York. They are part of the discovery procedure.

Discovery, in Beacon, New York 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.

One way to get this information in Beacon, New York is to simply sit down with someone involved in the dispute, or with knowledge of some of the issues, and ask them questions. This can be done through a civil deposition, which is basically a Q&A session between a lawyer, and the person being deposed. A lawyer for the other side will also be present. The person being deposed is answering their questions under oath, just as if they were testifying in court. Because of this, it's important to get their statements on the record. For that purpose, a court reporter or videographer will be present.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Beacon, New York

Depositions are normally conducted in Beacon, New York 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.

Beacon, New York civil depositions can go on for a long time - sometimes going for a week or more. If you get subpoenaed to provide your testimony in a Beacon, New York civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Beacon, New York normally 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 provide testimony that's beneficial to one side or the other.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Beacon, New York, 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 Beacon, New York Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Beacon, New York 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're not a party to the case, but have relevant information, you might be subpoenaed to appear in a deposition. In this case, you likely don't need to hire a Beacon, New York 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.