Litigation Lawyers in Lake Mills

Civil depositions occur during Lake Mills, Wisconsin civil litigation, as part of the discovery process.

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

In Lake Mills, 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 Lake Mills, Wisconsin

If the parties believe that a witness in Lake Mills, Wisconsin won't be able to show up in court to testify during trial, because of age, poor health, upcoming military deployment, potential incarceration, or any other reason, a deposition is a very good way to get their testimony on the record before the trial. Also, if they have to be questioned for several days, it is a good way to save the court's time.

Lake Mills, Wisconsin 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 Lake Mills, Wisconsin civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Lake Mills, Wisconsin usually 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 favorable to one side or the other.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, you're under oath. This means that you are under an absolute obligation to tell the truth. If you deliberately lie while under oath, you are committing perjury. Perjury is a serious crime, and can be punished by fines and imprisonment.

How Can A Lake Mills, Wisconsin Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Lake Mills, 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 Lake Mills, Wisconsin attorney, who can advise you on how to proceed.