Professional court reporters are a significant pillar in any litigation or deposition. Smart, professional and efficient reporters do not just produce transcripts of court proceedings but can also have a positive impact for the court verdict. Even if you have hired yourself the best of the best court reporter, he/she cannot have desirable impact on deposition if he is interrupted, or if there is lack of communication between you and the reporter. This article discusses valuable tips for improving court reporter’s performance and ensuring their efficiency.
1. Minimize court reporter’s Interruptions
As an attorney or paralegals you might have prepared a flawless deposition which is capable of going kaput only because of repetitive interruptions by the court reporter. It is annoying, frustrating and highly unprofessional if the reporter interrupts you again and again for his own record keeping job. The flow of argumentation and the mounted pressure collapsed due to interruptions, which does not reflect good on your performance in the eyes of client. Many attorneys complain about it. Although a good court reporter does not interrupt much but the possibility cannot be ruled out completely no matter how competent the reporter is.
So, here is what you can do to minimize or adjust the interruptions. With the help of these few tips there will be lesser hiccups in litigation and the process will go smoothly.
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Tell Everyone about the job of Court Reporter
We don’t mean to say that you have to make the court reporter sound all-important; however, it is imperative that everyone should know what a court reporter’s job is. Bearing this in mind, they will speak more clearly, and at an audible volume which will reduce interruptions and speed up the process of deposition. Some people talk at a very fast speed, which can become a problem for the professional court reporter as he can’t keep the pace with it and might also not hear some content properly. If there are fast-talkers, you might want to request them to talk at a slower speed so ensure that every word spoken by them is registered by the court reporter and there are fewer interruptions.
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Prepare before hand is the key
Preparations contribute to making the process of any deposition smooth. For that matter, you must communicate with the court reporter so that he does not come to the court blank and clueless about the matter. Make sure you provide them required information and context beforehand. This will minimize any confusion and their chances of becoming lost. Consequently, there will be lesser interruptions during the deposition. One tip, though, is not to overwhelm the court reporter with too many details and information. Just share the right amount of information which should provide a clear context.
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Pick and experienced and qualified Court Reporter
This goes without saying that despite following the above mentioned tips, you must find a court reporter has experience and expertise. Experienced court reporters have trained themselves to adapt to different situations in the courts, and can perform well without causing any interruptions. A good reporter will make your life much easier because you don’t have to worry about time lapses and mistakes encountered due to inefficiency.
2. A centralized system improves performance
It is commonly believed that in you must never hire a bay area court reporters from the same company which provides services to the other party in your deposition. It is a wrong belief. As a matter fact, hiring a reporter from the same firm has many advantages. Document intensive cases or cases with depositions in different cities, it is recommended to use hire services from the same firm because that way you don’t have to worry about logistics. This saves your from many inconveniences an also improves performance. Let’s take a look how hiring from the same firm can enhance efficiency and performance.
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Scheduling
With centralized court reporting services, the firm will schedule for you in other cities and other states as well. This is highly relieving as finding a court reporter in distant places can be overwhelming. With centralized scheduling of depositions all parties and stakeholders are kept in the loop. A good firm will send scheduling confirmations to all parties involved regardless of the place of deposition or the ordering party. If the depositions are arranged out of the state, centralized reporting ensures that everyone is on the same page. This offers more peace of mind if there is something urgent or out of the blue. Picking a firm randomly will put you in a risky situation as you don’t know what to expect from them and how they function.
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Repository Access
A centralized system will make all the documents available at one place which can be accessed any time, throughout the year. Transcripts, exhibits, errata sheets, and invoices can be accessed any time which saves paralegals a considerable amount of time while preparing for the trial. You won’t have to waste time in trying to find out the firm which covered a deposition many years back, and you exactly know the location of transcript files right at your fingertips.
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Standardized documents
Standardized transcript orders and distribution bring convenience to the lives of users because all documents are available in a consistent format. You can give your requirements regarding the format to ensure that you have documents the way you want them. Moreover, with centralized services, the firm is aware of people working on a specific case, and ensures that the permitted document is made available to other party when they need it. They can copy those documents an ensure availability with an added advantage that all transcripts have a consistent format and they are accessed the same way.
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Exhibit Binders
With centralized court reporting, in all depositions the firm will send the binders to the place of deposition, even if it is out of state. This makes accessibility of a document easier and also brings convenience for all the stakeholders. After the deposition is over, new exhibits are updated in the binders and electronic copies are distributed to everyone. Hence, centralized system retains documents in consolidated form.
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Familiarity with Reporter
And of course, it is far better to work with a professional court reporter whom you know, and stick with the same throughout your deposition. It is not a good practice to change the court reporter in the middle of a deposition. This will make the deposition smooth as well as friendly.
Final Words:
At Professional Reporting, our court reporters are experienced and qualified to deal with depositions in a professional manner. To get a quote for your next deposition, give us a call.
