Litigation Lawyers in Kanawha County

Civil depositions occur during Kanawha County, West Virginia civil litigation, as part of the discovery process.

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

In Kanawha County, West Virginia, one way to acquire 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 normally 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 particular lines of questioning, if they wish.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Kanawha County, West Virginia

Depositions are normally conducted in Kanawha County, West Virginia 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.

So, it shouldn't be shocking that civil depositions in Kanawha County, West Virginia can usually go on for several days. If you are subpoenaed for a deposition in , West Virginia, you are normally obligated to appear. This can be a source of some inconvenience.

Because of this fact, the law in Kanawha County, West Virginia allows 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 particular way ceases to be compensation, and becomes bribery, which is a crime.

Remember, when you give a deposition in Kanawha County, West Virginia, you're under oath. This means that you are under an absolute obligation 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 Kanawha County, West Virginia Lawyer Help?

If you're a party to a Kanawha County, West Virginia lawsuit and are required 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 immersed in the case, but have been subpoenaed to appear in a deposition as a witness in Kanawha County, West Virginia, 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.