Litigation Lawyers in Fort Gibson

Depositions are part of the discovery procedure in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma civil litigation.

In Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, "discovery" is a procedure that happens before a civil trial, during which both sides are obligated to disclose relevant evidence to the other.

One way to obtain this information in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 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 Fort Gibson, Oklahoma

Depositions are usually conducted in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 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.

Fort Gibson, Oklahoma 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 Fort Gibson, Oklahoma civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma usually 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 favorable to one side or the other.

In Fort Gibson, Oklahoma depositions, everyone being deposed is under oath. This means that you are legally and morally obligated to answer every question truthfully. If you deliberately misrepresent your knowledge (lie), you are guilty of perjury. And if you're caught, you could end up facing jail time and/or some extremely steep fines.

How Can A Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Lawyer Help?

If you are directly involved in a lawsuit in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, 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 throughout the deposition.

If, on the other hand, you're not directly involved in the case, but have been subpoenaed to appear in a deposition as a witness in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, 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.