NH Personal Injury Attorneys Prepare Clients for Testimony at Depositions
Working with NH personal injury attorneys takes the stress out of appearing for a deposition. This essential part of the discovery process is an important step in any personal injury lawsuit, making it crucial to have an experienced attorney at your side. If you’ve been injured in an accident, then the NH personal injury attorneys at the Law Office of Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC may be able to help.
What Is a Deposition?
When your personal injury lawsuit was filed, it triggered the beginning of the discovery period. Discovery is the formal investigation portion of the lawsuit. During this time, your attorney may request documents from the counsel for the other party along with written questions called interrogatories. The opposing side is obliged to respond to these requests, and they may also ask you and your attorney to produce documents and answer written questions. Depositions are another part of the discovery process. The witness, often called the deponent, is required to appear at a certain time and place to provide testimony under oath regarding their knowledge of the events that caused your injury. It’s common for both the plaintiff and defendant to be deposed in a personal injury lawsuit. Moreover, other witnesses may be called. Emergency response personnel, health care providers, and bystanders are all examples of individuals who may be called to give testimony.
How Is the Information Gathered in a Deposition Used?
The answers that the deponent gives during the deposition are used as evidence at trial or as a means of compelling settlement prior to trial. All testimony given at depositions is under oath, meaning that it is against the law for the deponent to lie or mislead the attorneys. Deliberate dishonesty may result in civil and criminal charges, so it’s important to understand that being accurate and truthful is paramount in any deposition.
Components of the Deposition
The parties involved in a deposition typically include the deponent and their NH personal injury attorneys along with lawyers representing the opposing side. A court reporter is present to electronically record all questions asked and testimony given, word for word. It is the court reporter’s responsibility to produce a true and correct transcript of the deposition for both sides. If you are the deponent, you will have the opportunity to review and correct the transcript with your attorney. Depositions may sometimes be videotaped. The deposition occurs at a predetermined date, time and place. Usually, they happen in the conference room at the offices of one of the involved attorneys. They may take only an hour or two to conduct. However, witnesses who can offer extremely detailed testimony may find themselves testifying over a period of several days.
Preparing for the Deposition
You will work with the NH personal injury attorneys at the Law Office of Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC for several weeks before your deposition is taken. Your attorney understands that you probably haven’t been deposed before and that you find the prospect of doing so stressful. That’s why you and your attorney will put considerable time and effort into preparing for the deposition. Your attorney will answer questions about how to dress and behave while you are being deposed. More importantly, your personal injury lawyer will also talk with you about the questions that the other attorney is likely to ask. Most of the deposition will consist of the opposing counsel asking you questions while you respond. It’s rare for your own attorney to ask you questions at a deposition. However, this may happen if your attorney feels that it is necessary to clarify a point. Your attorney is also there to object when opposing counsel asks an inappropriate question or to advise you on if you should answer certain questions. Your NH personal injury attorneys will never ask you to lie or fabricate your answers for a deposition. Instead, you’ll be encouraged to present the truth in a straightforward and direct manner. While it may be impossible to entirely put you at ease during the deposition, preparation will help you be more comfortable in presenting your what happened to you.
Contact the NH Personal Injury Attorneys at the Law Office of Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC
If you have been injured in a crash or other incident, then you don’t have to face the process of making a personal injury claim or filing a personal injury lawsuit on your own. With the assistance of the experienced NH personal injury attorneys at the Law Office of Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC you will understand your options for proceeding after suffering an injury. Moreover, you can expect that every phase of your case will be handled professionally and with the tact and assertiveness you would expect from respected personal injury attorneys. Time may be of the essence in your personal injury lawsuit. Contact the NH personal injury attorneys at Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC at 603-624-7200 today to schedule a consultation.
