Litigation Lawyers in Swarthmore

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

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

In Swarthmore, 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 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 Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

Depositions are typically conducted in Swarthmore, 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.

Civil Depositions in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, can take a very long time to be completed, typically lasting several days, and occasionally going on for weeks. So, people who are called to give depositions in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania should be ready for some substantial inconvenience.

To mitigate this, the law of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania typically 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 advantageous to one side or the other.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 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 Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Lawyer Help?

If you are directly engaged in a lawsuit in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 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 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 Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. You likely 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.