what is a deposition 
in law a deposition is an integral part of the discovery process it is testimony made under oath and taken down in writing by an authorized officer of the court typically in an out of court setting and before trial understanding depositionsthe discovery process enables both sides involved in a legal case to unearth all the pertinent facts and learn about the other side s view of the case so as to map out an effective legal strategy depositions are usually taken from key witnesses but can also involve the plaintiff or defendant and often take place in an attorney s office rather than the courtroom the individual making the deposition is known as the deponent since the deponent is under oath false statements can carry civil and criminal penalties as with any discovery proceeding the primary objective of a deposition is to give all parties involved in the litigation a fair preview of the evidence and level the field as far as information is concerned so that there are no unwelcome surprises at trial a deposition also preserves the testimony of the witness if it is taken in a relatively short time period after the occurrence of the crime or accident since a trial may be months away and the witness s recollection of the event may get blurred with the passage of time 