Are there different types of Subpoenas?

Yes – there are three kinds of subpoenas.  

i.    A Witness Subpoena is a court order requiring a person to appear in court on a certain date and testify as a witness, usually in a trial.  

ii.   A Subpoena Duces Tecum (meaning ‘subpoena for production of evidence’) is a court order requiring the person subpoenaed to produce books, documents or other records under his or her control at a specified time/place in a court hearing or a deposition. Oftentimes, compliance can be achieved by mailing, or sending records via e-mail, or providing the records at a specified date without an in-person appearance if arranged in advance. 

iii.   A Deposition Subpoena is a court order requiring a person who is not a party to a lawsuit to provide copies of business records and/or appear at a deposition to answer questions asked by one party in a lawsuit.   A Deposition Subpoena differs from the Subpoena DucesTecum in that the documents and testimony requested are part of the “discovery process” before trial and may not be used in an actual court hearing.