Litigation Lawyers in Sturgeon Bay

Civil depositions happen during Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin civil litigation, as part of the discovery procedure.

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

In Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, one way to receive this information is to find the people involved in the dispute (whether they're witnesses or parties), and ask them questions about the issues you believe them to have knowledge of. A civil deposition is typically a pretty simple process: the person being deposed is sworn in (they are under oath, just as if they were in a courtroom). Because the whole point of a deposition is to get testimony on the record, a stenographer or video technician will also be present, recording the whole deposition. The lawyer then asks questions of the witness, and the lawyers for the other side are able to object to specific lines of questioning, if they wish.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

Depositions in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin are meant to get verbal testimony on the record and into evidence, when there is concern that the individual being deposed might be unable to show up and testify at trial, or their testimony will take far too long for them to testify at trial.

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

Because of this fact, the law in Sturgeon Bay, 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 Sturgeon Bay, 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 Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Sturgeon Bay, 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, 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 Sturgeon Bay, 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.