Litigation Lawyers in Jefferson County

Depositions are part of the discovery process in Jefferson County, Texas civil litigation.

The discovery process in Jefferson County, Texas is one of the most important parts of the civil litigation process. During the discovery phase, each side of the lawsuit is required to make all of the relevant information it has in its possession available to the other side.

In Jefferson County, Texas, one way to acquire relevant evidence is to ask persons 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 Jefferson County, Texas

Depositions in Jefferson County, Texas serve a very important purpose: getting 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 Jefferson County, Texas can go on for a very long time. If you are called to appear in a deposition in Jefferson County, Texas, this can be a huge headache.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Jefferson County, Texas permits 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.

If you are called to a deposition in Jefferson County, Texas, it's absolutely imperative that you answer all the questions truthfully, to the best of your knowledge. When testifying in a deposition, you are under oath, just as you would be in open court. Deliberately lying in a deposition is perjury, which is a serious crime.

How Can A Jefferson County, Texas Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost certainly already have a Jefferson County, Texas lawyer. If either party to the lawsuit calls you for a deposition, your lawyer will have plenty of advice for you. You should, of course, follow that advice to the letter.

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 Jefferson County, Texas. 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.