If you’re trying to follow a legal process or are involved in a lawsuit of your own, there are probably a lot of terms you’d like to know more about. One of the confusing steps of a court case is what’s known as a legal deposition. This normally takes place before a trial and essentially consists of hearing what different people have to say about the subject of the trial.

If you’re going to a legal deposition Boston MA or you just want to know more about what exactly it means, then read on to learn more.

What is a Legal Deposition?

Basically, when a lawyer wants to question a witness or someone who is somehow involved in a case to find out if what they have to say might be helpful, they’ll usually arrange for a deposition to take place. The lawyer will meet that person to ask them certain questions which have a bearing on the case.

What Does the Deponent Do?

During the deposition, the deponent swears an oath and then gives their witness statement, which is recorded by the court reporter. This will involve the lawyer or lawyers asking certain questions, which the deponent must answer truthfully. The lawyer on each side will look over all the statements to decide what they can use as evidence at the trial.

What Happens Afterward?

If a lawyer asks you to appear as a witness in court, you are required by law to do so. The depositions themselves cannot be used as evidence, with some rare exceptions. The most important thing for witnesses is to make sure that what they say at the trial is consistent with what they said at their deposition.

This is essentially what happens at a deposition. Sometimes things may be a little different depending on the case, but this is more or less what you should expect if you’ve been asked to make a witness statement. If this is the case, then just make sure you have an idea of what you’re going to say, and you shouldn’t run into any problems.