Litigation Lawyers in Rhinelander

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

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

In Rhinelander, 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 Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Depositions are typically conducted in Rhinelander, 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 everybody 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.

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

Therefore, Rhinelander, Wisconsin's civil procedure rules permit a person to be compensated for the time and money they spend in appearing at a deposition. If the witness lives far away from the location of the deposition, as is sometimes the case in large trials, they can be reimbursed for travel and lodging expenses, and compensated for their time. However, this money cannot be used to influence HOW they testify, just to mitigate the inconvenience associated with testifying.

If you are called to a deposition in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, it's absolutely imperative 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 Rhinelander, Wisconsin Lawyer Help?

If you are the defendant or plaintiff in a lawsuit, chances are good that you'll have to appear in a deposition. You should, by this point, already be represented by a Rhinelander, Wisconsin civil litigation attorney. You should do whatever they tell you to do (unless, of course, they tell you to lie, in which case you should find a new lawyer).

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 probably don't need to hire a Rhinelander, 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.