Things to Keep In Mind If You Have To Hire A Court Reporter!

Would you choose a legal counsel on the basis of price? The answer is quite obvious, "No." Yet, there are times when people, lawyers or legal secretaries choose the reporting service on the only basis that is the price. After all, there is just one notion in the minds of people that court reporter is a court reporter, so why not save money by selecting the cheapest option.

But the reality is far different. Only an experienced attorney and litigators would agree that choosing a highly qualified court reporter can make a world of difference when you present the case.

So how do you hire a court reporter and what questions you should bear in mind while going through the whole process? We have everything!

The first thing you should ask a company providing court reporter is "Are your court reporters trained and certified?"

Many states have maintained their own bodies or abide by National Court Reporters Association. But the minimum thing that your court reporter should have is national or state certification. However, the company should also ask what additional certification a company reporter is holding.

The second question that one should ask is how to ensure accuracy and confidentiality.

The cornerstones of any court reporting service are its accuracy and confidentiality. The company should provide the in-depth explanation of how they will maintain accuracy and confidentiality of its customers.

The third question that you need to ask your court reporter is their experience!

Yes, you should be well aware whether they have experience of technical cases, medical malpractices, patents or intellectual property or not. If you court reporter has experience with handling such cases then he will ensure that you have accurate records and documents so that during the depositions, there are less number of interruptions and distractions.

The fourth important question is "How much will it cost? The fee charges, what else is included?"

Yes, you should ask for the price as that decides a lot. But you should also ask what is included. The court reporting services that you choose should provide you rates of appearing in the court, the transcript page rates and other fees as well.

Another question that might be popping in your mind but you forgot to ask is "How convenient is it to schedule a court reporter?

There are cases when you have only two to three days to schedule, in that case, all you’ll want is the court reporter to adjust according to your needs and schedule. Simply find out how much time the court reporting company needs before the disposition.

Now a disposition does not always take place at ‘service areas’ then you should also ask your court reporter the service area that he will ready to work in.

At last, we just want to conclude that we tend to evaluate the strength of the cases based on facts and objectives, which to an extent is correct, but we somehow forget to support system that elucidates the whole information.

Therefore if you want to fight strong, you have to genuinely start understanding the importance of a court reporter and consider all the questions that we mentioned before.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Thomas is an expert in the field of courtroom reporting and frequently writes many articles and blogs, helping people in picking up the skills necessary to get into this profession. He recommends LoweryReporters.com as the name to trust for any information relating to becoming a court reporter in Oklahoma.