What are Depositions?
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A deposition is a form of sworn testimony, but happens outside of court. The deposition itself usually happens at the office of the other side's attorney, though it has remained commonplace since the pandemic to conduct them virtually, over Zoom or some other video-conferencing platform. Whether live or virtual, there will be a court reporter but it will be a slightly less formal conversation than live court testimony. Your attorney will be there with you.
A deposition is not the same thing as your trial testimony. It is discovery, which means it is the other side's turn to ask you questions and discover what your testimony will be. What that means for you is that you do not have to worry about telling your whole story in the deposition- you only have to worry about understanding the questions and answering them truthfully. Your attorney will also have the opportunity at the end of the other side's questioning to ask follow up questions if there was anything that was said that they feel was confusing or inaccurate. Remember, though, that this is discovery, so in most cases your attorney will not be asking you about everything you might later testify about, if it has not already been covered. Learn more here about discovery in a civil lawsuit. |
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