Litigation Lawyers in Hugo

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

In Hugo, 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 acquire this information in Hugo, 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 Hugo, Oklahoma

Depositions are typically conducted in Hugo, 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.

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

Thus, Hugo, Oklahoma'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 occasionally 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 linked with testifying.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Hugo, Oklahoma, 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 Hugo, Oklahoma Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost definitely already have a Hugo, Oklahoma 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'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 Hugo, Oklahoma 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.