Litigation Lawyers in Pierce County

Civil depositions occur during Pierce County, Washington civil litigation, as part of the discovery process.

In Pierce County, Washington, "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 Pierce County, Washington is to conduct a deposition. A deposition, at its core, is a fairly simple process. A deposition is a question and answer session conducted outside the courtroom. Normally, it takes place in the office space of an attorney representing one of the parties. There are a few people who are almost always present at the deposition: there's the person being deposed, the lawyer who is going to be asking the questions, a lawyer representing the other side of the lawsuit, who can object to any questions being asked (a judge can rule on the objections later), and a court reporter or video recorder, to ensure that the testimony ends up on the record.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Pierce County, Washington

Depositions in Pierce County, Washington 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 Pierce County, Washington can go on for a very long time. If you are called to appear in a deposition in Pierce County, Washington, this can be a massive headache.

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Pierce County, Washington 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.

If you are called to a deposition in Pierce County, Washington, 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 Pierce County, Washington Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost certainly already have a Pierce County, Washington 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 Pierce County, Washington 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.