Litigation Lawyers in South Milwaukee

Civil depositions happen during South Milwaukee, Wisconsin civil litigation, as part of the discovery procedure.

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

In South Milwaukee, 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 South Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Depositions are typically conducted in South Milwaukee, 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.

Civil Depositions in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, can take a very long time to be completed, typically lasting several days, and occasionally going on for weeks. So, people who are called to give depositions in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin should be ready for some substantial inconvenience.

Because of this fact, the law in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin permits witnesses who are appearing for depositions to be compensated for the expense associated with it. This includes reimbursement for gas, lodging, and food. They can also be paid a certain amount of money for every hour they testify, to compensate them for their time. However, this money can only be conditioned on the witness showing up and giving truthful testimony. Trying to condition it on the witness testifying in a specific way ceases to be compensation, and becomes bribery, which is a crime.

If you are called to a deposition in South Milwaukee, 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 South Milwaukee, Wisconsin Lawyer Help?

If you are directly engaged in a lawsuit in South Milwaukee, 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 engaged in the lawsuit, you might still have to appear at a deposition, if you have information that's relevant to the case in South Milwaukee, 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.