Litigation Lawyers in Nacogdoches

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

The discovery process in Nacogdoches, 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.

One way to get this information in Nacogdoches, Texas is to simply sit down with someone involved in the dispute, or with knowledge of some of the issues, and ask them questions. This can be done through a civil deposition, which is basically a Q&A session between a lawyer, and the person being deposed. A lawyer for the other side will also be present. The person being deposed is answering their questions under oath, just as if they were testifying in court. Because of this, it's important to get their statements on the record. For that purpose, a court reporter or videographer will be present.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Nacogdoches, Texas

Depositions in Nacogdoches, Texas are meant to get verbal testimony on the record and into evidence, when there is concern that the person being deposed might be unable to show up and testify at trial, or their testimony will take far too long for them to testify at trial.

Nacogdoches, Texas civil depositions can go on for a long time - occasionally going for a week or more. If you get subpoenaed to give your testimony in a Nacogdoches, Texas civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Nacogdoches, Texas 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 serious problem: this would amount bribery, and it is a serious offense.

In Nacogdoches, Texas 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 very steep fines.

How Can A Nacogdoches, Texas Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost certainly already have a Nacogdoches, 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're not a party to the case, but have relevant information, you might be subpoenaed to appear in a deposition. In this case, you probably don't need to hire a Nacogdoches, Texas litigation attorney, but it would not be a bad idea to seek out a brief consultation with one, to get an idea of what to expect.