Litigation Lawyers in Point Pleasant

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

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

One way to receive this information in Point Pleasant, 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. Normally, 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 Point Pleasant, West Virginia

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

To help mitigate this inconvenience, Point Pleasant, West Virginia authorizes witnesses who are appearing in depositions to be paid a set amount of money for their time, and reimbursed for travel expenses. However, if there is any evidence that this money is being used to influence a witness' testimony, there is going to be a significant problem: this would amount bribery, and it is a serious offense.

If you are called to a deposition in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, it's absolutely necessary 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 Point Pleasant, West Virginia Lawyer Help?

If you are the plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit, you almost definitely already have a Point Pleasant, West Virginia lawyer. If either party to the lawsuit calls you for a deposition, your lawyer will have plenty of advice for you. You should, of course, follow that advice to the letter.

If you are not directly immersed in the lawsuit, you might still have to appear at a deposition, if you have information that's relevant to the case in Point Pleasant, 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.