Litigation Lawyers in Fountain Hill

Depositions are part of the discovery process in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania civil litigation.

"Discovery" is a process that occurs before a trial in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania. During the discovery process, both sides are required to make relevant information available to each other.

In Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania, one way to obtain relevant evidence is to ask people 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 Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania

Depositions in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania serve a very important purpose: acquiring testimony on the record, and admitted as evidence, when there is some reason to suspect that the witness won't be able to appear in court during trial, because of health, potential incarceration, or any other reason.

It should not be any surprise, then, that civil depositions in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania can go on for a very long time. If you are called to appear in a deposition in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania, this can be a major headache.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania allows witnesses who are appearing in depositions to be paid a set amount of money for their time, and reimbursed for travel expenses. However, if there is any evidence that this money is being used to influence a witness' testimony, there is going to be a serious problem: this would amount bribery, and it is a serious offense.

When giving a deposition in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania, be sure to answer all of the questions honestly, and to the absolute best of your knowledge. You will be sworn in before the deposition begins, and you will be under oath, just as if you were in open court. So, if you lie, you are committing perjury, which can land you in jail.

How Can A Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania lawsuit and are required 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 a lawsuit in Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania, but have knowledge about some of the facts that are at issue in a pending case, you might still be called to appear in a deposition. In that case, you probably don't need to hire a lawyer.