A lot of prep work needs to go into your criminal defense if you hope to beat the prosecution and obtain the best outcome possible under the circumstances. This includes identifying witnesses who will be helpful to your position, subpoenaing relevant documentary evidence, and assessing applicable statutory and case law.
But it also involves figuring out what the other side knows through the discovery process. Part of this process is conducting depositions.
Why depositions are helpful
Depositions are the process in which you take sworn testimony from a witness before trial. Although the process may seem somewhat informal, its ramifications can be huge because you can use a witness’s depositional testimony at trial to point out inconsistent statements.
Additionally, depositions give you insight into how a witness will testify for the prosecution, which can help you mold your criminal defense strategies. You may learn key pieces of evidence that you didn’t know before, which means that you will have time to further investigate and avoid being taken by surprise at trial.
Another advantage of the deposition is that it may give you the opportunity to prevent a witness from testifying against you. This is especially true when you subpoena a witness for a deposition and they fail to appear.
Take the thorough approach that you need to craft a compelling criminal defense
With your freedom and your future on the line, you owe it to yourself to present a fully developed criminal defense. But in order to do so, you need to be prepared to put in work on the front end to ensure that your arguments are comprehensive and persuasive in nature. An attorney who is experienced in this area of the law may be able to help you develop the legal strategy that you need to aggressively defend your interests.