By Farhan Naqvi, Personal Injury Lawyer in Las Vegas
If you have filed a personal injury lawsuit against a company or individual, both sides are required to conduct discovery. This means that documents must be procured and witness statements gathered. Often, you will be required to participate in a deposition.
A deposition is similar to a trial in that the opposing lawyer will ask you questions which you are required to answer to the best of your knowledge. There are certain differences that you must be aware of. Here are some tips on how to successfully navigate a deposition:
- Meet with your lawyer before the deposition takes place to review the case and learn what to expect.
- Study the documents which will likely come up during the deposition so you are familiar with their contents.
- Anticipate the questions you will be asked and think about your answers before the deposition begins.
- If your lawyer instructs you not to answer a question, heed that advice.
- Clarify your testimony if you need to – but don’t elaborate on an answer unnecessarily.
- It’s okay to ask the opposing lawyer to rephrase or repeat a question – or to simply admit that you do not know (or remember) the answer
- During the deposition, you don’t need to discuss what your lawyer has told you – or what your spouse has said or done
Your attorney is both your advisor and your advocate during a deposition. So if you have any questions about an upcoming deposition (even if you think they are silly), it is vital that you consult your lawyer so that you completely understand what will happen once the deposition gets underway.
About the Editor: Farhan R. Naqvi is a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer who has experience representing victims injured in car accidents, drunk driver crashes, truck wrecks, slip and falls, taxi cab accidents, and bicycle crashes. He also has experience handling spine injury, product liability, underinsured/uninsured driver, and wrongful death cases. If you’ve been seriously hurt in an accident in Summerlin, North Las Vegas, Clark County, Henderson, Boulder City, Green Valley, or Pahrump, give Farhan a call at 702-553-1000 for a free, no-hassle consultation.