What is adeposition?

A: For an injury lawsuit, a legal deposition is a formal process where the injured person testifies under oath. This usually means one of the parties (either the injured person's attorney or the defense or insurance attorney), assures that a licensed court reporter/stenographer is present to record the injured person's testimony, which then can be used in certain ways in the injury case.

Every state and federal court specifies a written court procedure on exactly how a deposition can be conducted, and other provisions specify how it can later be used once it is typed up by a court reporter.

Also, these written court rules specify that such a deposition can be videotaped and some court rules even provide that a deposition may in fact be videotaped and without a court stenographer present. Court reporters are highly trained and most states require licensure.

About the editors: The motto at Shapiro, Lewis, & Appleton law firm is simple -"All we do is injury law." We hope you were able to find the answer to your injury query. If not, please review our Virginia Accident Lawyer FAQ Library for additional information. If you'd like to speak to an actual attorney about your potential injury claim for free, please contact our office at 1-800-752-0042.