Litigation Lawyers in River Falls

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

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

In River Falls, 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 River Falls, Wisconsin

Depositions are typically conducted in River Falls, 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.

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

Therefore, River Falls, 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 being deposed in River Falls, Wisconsin you absolutely must answer all the questions truthfully and completely, to the best of your knowledge. You are under oath, and if you lie, and are caught, you could be charged with perjury, which can carry jail time.

How Can A River Falls, 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 River Falls, 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, on the other hand, you're not directly engaged in the case, but have been subpoenaed to appear in a deposition as a witness in River Falls, Wisconsin, you may not need to hire a lawyer. The lawyers for both sides will probably prep you for the deposition, giving you an idea of what to expect.