Litigation Lawyers in Port Washington

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

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

In Port Washington, Wisconsin, one way to get relevant evidence is to ask individuals 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 Port Washington, Wisconsin

Depositions are normally conducted in Port Washington, 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.

Port Washington, Wisconsin civil depositions can go on for a long time - sometimes going for a week or more. If you get subpoenaed to provide your testimony in a Port Washington, Wisconsin civil deposition, this could prove to be incredibly inconvenient.

To mitigate this, the law of Port Washington, Wisconsin normally 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 beneficial to one side or the other.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Port Washington, Wisconsin, you're under oath. This means that you are under an absolute requirement 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 Port Washington, Wisconsin Lawyer Help?

If you are directly immersed in a lawsuit in Port Washington, Wisconsin, and have to appear at a deposition, you should already be represented by a lawyer. It goes without saying that you should do whatever they advise you to do throughout the deposition.

If you are not directly immersed in the lawsuit, you might still have to appear at a deposition, if you have information that's relevant to the case in Port Washington, Wisconsin. You likely don't need to hire a lawyer in that case, but it might be a good idea to at least get a consultation from one.