Litigation Lawyers in Nitro

Civil depositions happen during Nitro, West Virginia civil litigation, as part of the discovery procedure.

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

One way to obtain this information in Nitro, West Virginia is to conduct a deposition. A deposition, at its core, is a fairly simple process. A deposition is a question and answer session conducted outside the courtroom. Usually, it takes place in the office space of an attorney representing one of the parties. There are a few people who are almost always present at the deposition: there's the person being deposed, the lawyer who is going to be asking the questions, a lawyer representing the other side of the lawsuit, who can object to any questions being asked (a judge can rule on the objections later), and a court reporter or video recorder, to ensure that the testimony ends up on the record.

Conducting A Civil Deposition in Nitro, West Virginia

Depositions in Nitro, West Virginia 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 Nitro, West Virginia can go on for a very long time. If you are contacted to appear in a deposition in Nitro, West Virginia, this can be a major headache.

Because of this fact, the law in Nitro, West Virginia 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 certain way ceases to be compensation, and becomes bribery, which is a crime.

If you are called to a deposition in Nitro, West Virginia, it's absolutely essential 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 Nitro, West Virginia Lawyer Help?

If you are directly involved in a lawsuit in Nitro, West Virginia, 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 involved in the lawsuit, you might still have to appear at a deposition, if you have information that's relevant to the case in Nitro, West Virginia. 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.