Litigation Lawyers in Manassas Park

Civil depositions occur during Manassas Park, Virginia civil litigation, as part of the discovery process.

In Manassas Park, Virginia, "discovery" is a process that occurs before a civil trial, during which both sides are required to disclose relevant evidence to the other.

One way to get this information in Manassas Park, Virginia 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 Manassas Park, Virginia

Depositions are normally conducted in Manassas Park, Virginia 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.

Manassas Park, Virginia 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 Manassas Park, Virginia civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To help deal with this fact, Manassas Park, Virginia allows witnesses who are being deposed to be compensated for their time. They can be reimbursed for lodging, travel expenses, and given a small amount of money for their time. Remember, however, that this money is most definitely NOT conditioned on the witness giving testimony that's beneficial to one side, and omitting information that's unfavorable. This would be bribery, and it is highly illegal.

If you are called to a deposition in Manassas Park, Virginia, it's absolutely necessary 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 Manassas Park, Virginia Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Manassas Park, Virginia lawsuit and are required to appear at a deposition, one would hope that you've already retained a lawyer by this stage in the proceedings. Your attorney will have a lot of advice for you, which you should of course follow.

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 Manassas Park, Virginia 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.