Litigation Lawyers in Cottage Grove

Civil depositions occur during Cottage Grove, Wisconsin civil litigation, as part of the discovery process.

"Discovery" is a process that occurs before a trial in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin. During the discovery process, both sides are required to make relevant information available to each other.

In Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, 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 Cottage Grove, Wisconsin

Depositions in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin 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.

Civil Depositions in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, can take a very long time to be completed, typically lasting several days, and sometimes going on for weeks. So, people who are called to give depositions in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin should be prepared for some substantial inconvenience.

To mitigate this, the law of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin typically entitles people being deposed to reimbursement. They can be compensated for travel expenses, lodging, and a can be given a small amount of money simply for their time. However, this is meant to be reimbursement for the time and expense incurred in attending a deposition, and it is most definitely not payment for the witness to give testimony that's advantageous to one side or the other.

If you are being deposed in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin you absolutely must answer all the questions truthfully and completely, to the best of your knowledge. You are under oath, and if you lie, and are caught, you could be charged with perjury, which can carry jail time.

How Can A Cottage Grove, Wisconsin Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Cottage Grove, Wisconsin 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 are not a party to the case, but are subpoenaed to testify in a deposition, you should at least consult with a Cottage Grove, Wisconsin attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.