Litigation Lawyers in Delavan

Civil depositions happen during Delavan, Wisconsin civil litigation, as part of the discovery procedure.

"Discovery" is a procedure that happens before a trial in Delavan, Wisconsin. During the discovery process, both sides are obligated to make relevant information available to each other.

In Delavan, Wisconsin, one way to obtain relevant evidence is to ask people 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 Delavan, Wisconsin

Depositions in Delavan, Wisconsin serve a very significant purpose: obtaining 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, possible incarceration, or any other reason.

Civil Depositions in Delavan, Wisconsin, can take a very long time to be completed, usually lasting several days, and occasionally going on for weeks. So, people who are called to give depositions in Delavan, Wisconsin should be ready for some significant inconvenience.

To help deal with this fact, Delavan, Wisconsin permits 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 favorable 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 Delavan, Wisconsin, it's absolutely essential 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 Delavan, Wisconsin Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Delavan, Wisconsin lawsuit and are obligated 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 likely don't need to hire a Delavan, Wisconsin 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.