Litigation Lawyers in North Fond Du Lac

Civil depositions happen during North Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin civil litigation, as part of the discovery procedure.

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

In North Fond Du Lac, 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 North Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin

Depositions are typically conducted in North Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin 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 everyone 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.

It should not be any shock, then, that civil depositions in North Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin can go on for a very long time. If you are contacted to appear in a deposition in North Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, this can be a huge headache.

To mitigate this, the law of North Fond Du Lac, 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 provide testimony that's advantageous to one side or the other.

When giving a deposition in North Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, be sure to answer all of the questions honestly, and to the absolute best of your knowledge. You will be sworn in before the deposition starts, and you will be under oath, just as if you were in open court. Thus, if you lie, you are committing perjury, which can land you in jail.

How Can A North Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a North Fond Du Lac, 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 a lawsuit in North Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, but have knowledge about some of the facts that are at issue in a pending case, you might still be contacted to appear in a deposition. In that case, you likely don't need to hire a lawyer.