Litigation Lawyers in Schuylkill Haven

Depositions are part of the discovery procedure in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania civil litigation.

"Discovery" is a procedure that happens before a trial in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. During the discovery process, both sides are obligated to make relevant information available to each other.

In Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania, one way to receive this information is to find the people involved in the dispute (whether they're witnesses or parties), and ask them questions about the issues you believe them to have knowledge of. A civil deposition is usually a pretty simple process: the person being deposed is sworn in (they are under oath, just as if they were in a courtroom). Because the whole point of a deposition is to get testimony on the record, a stenographer or video technician will also be present, recording the whole deposition. The lawyer then asks questions of the witness, and the lawyers for the other side are able to object to certain lines of questioning, if they wish.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania

Depositions are usually conducted in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania 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.

So, it shouldn't be astonishing that civil depositions in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania can generally go on for several days. If you are subpoenaed for a deposition in , Pennsylvania, you are usually obligated to appear. This can be a source of some inconvenience.

To help deal with this fact, Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania permits witnesses who are being deposed to be compensated for their time. They can be reimbursed for lodging, travel expenses, and given a small amount of money for their time. Remember, however, that this money is most definitely NOT conditioned on the witness giving testimony that's favorable to one side, and omitting information that's unfavorable. This would be bribery, and it is highly illegal.

When giving a deposition in Schuylkill Haven, 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 starts, 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 Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania 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 are not a party to the lawsuit, but are subpoenaed to testify in a deposition, you should at least contact with a Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.