Litigation Lawyers in St. Marys

Depositions are part of the discovery process in St. Marys, Pennsylvania civil litigation.

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

In St. Marys, Pennsylvania, one way to acquire 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 typically 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 specific lines of questioning, if they wish.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in St. Marys, Pennsylvania

Depositions are typically conducted in St. Marys, 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 everybody 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.

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

Because of this fact, the law in St. Marys, Pennsylvania allows witnesses who are appearing for depositions to be compensated for the expense associated with it. This includes reimbursement for gas, lodging, and food. They can also be paid a certain amount of money for every hour they testify, to compensate them for their time. However, this money can only be conditioned on the witness showing up and giving truthful testimony. Trying to condition it on the witness testifying in a specific way ceases to be compensation, and becomes bribery, which is a crime.

Remember, when you give a deposition in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, you're under oath. This means that you are under an absolute obligation 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 St. Marys, Pennsylvania Lawyer Help?

If you are a party to a lawsuit, and are called to a deposition, chances are you're already represented by a , Pennsylvania attorney. Obviously, you should follow their advice with respect to the deposition.

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 St. Marys, Pennsylvania. 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.