Litigation Lawyers in Smithtown

Civil depositions occur during civil litigation in Smithtown, New York. They are part of the discovery process.

The discovery process in Smithtown, New York is one of the most important parts of the civil litigation process. During the discovery phase, each side of the lawsuit is required to make all of the relevant information it has in its possession available to the other side.

One way to acquire this information in Smithtown, 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 Smithtown, New York

Depositions in Smithtown, New York are meant to get verbal testimony on the record and into evidence, when there is concern that the person being deposed might be unable to show up and testify at trial, or their testimony will take far too long for them to testify at trial.

Smithtown, New York 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 Smithtown, New York civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

Therefore, Smithtown, New York'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 Smithtown, New York, 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 Smithtown, New York Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost certainly already have a Smithtown, New York 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 are not directly engaged in the lawsuit, you might still have to appear at a deposition, if you have information that's relevant to the case in Smithtown, New York. You probably don't need to hire a lawyer in that case, but it might be a good idea to at least get a consultation from one.