Litigation Lawyers in Georgetown
Depositions are part of the discovery procedure in Georgetown, South Carolina civil litigation.
"Discovery" is a procedure that happens before a trial in Georgetown, South Carolina. During the discovery process, both sides are obligated to make relevant information available to each other.
One of the most effective ways to receive information relevant to a lawsuit in Georgetown, South Carolina is to conduct a deposition of a party who you believe to be privy to that information. A deposition is a Q&A session between an attorney representing one of the parties to a lawsuit, and someone who has knowledge relevant to the lawsuit. This can be one of the parties, or a witness. The individual being deposed is sworn in, and must answer all of the questions presented to them under oath. An attorney representing the other side can object to lines of questioning, on every grounds that would be valid during in-court testimony. The purpose of this is mainly to get the objection on the record, but if it proves to be a major sticking point, a judge can rule on the objections later. If any questions are found to be invalid, the questions, and their answers, will not be shown to the jury during trial. This is much more effective than simply instructing the jury to disregard a question and answer they've already heard.
Conducting A Civil Deposition in Georgetown, South Carolina
If the parties believe that a witness in Georgetown, South Carolina won't be able to show up in court to testify during trial, because of age, bad health, upcoming military deployment, possible incarceration, or any other reason, a deposition is a very good way to get their testimony on the record before the trial. Furthermore, if they have to be questioned for several days, it is a good way to save the court's time.
It should not be any shock, then, that civil depositions in Georgetown, South Carolina can go on for a very long time. If you are contacted to appear in a deposition in Georgetown, South Carolina, this can be a massive headache.
To help mitigate this inconvenience, Georgetown, South Carolina authorizes 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 significant problem: this would amount bribery, and it is a serious offense.
In Georgetown, South Carolina depositions, everyone being deposed is under oath. This means that you are legally and morally obligated to answer every question truthfully. If you deliberately misrepresent your knowledge (lie), you are guilty of perjury. And if you're caught, you could end up facing jail time and/or some extremely steep fines.
How Can A Georgetown, South Carolina Lawyer Help?
If you are a party to a lawsuit, and are subpoenaed to a deposition, chances are you're already represented by a , South Carolina attorney. Obviously, you should follow their advice with respect to the deposition.
If, on the other hand, you're not directly immersed in the case, but have been subpoenaed to appear in a deposition as a witness in Georgetown, South Carolina, you may not need to hire a lawyer. The lawyers for both sides will probably prep you for the deposition, giving you an idea of what to expect.