Tips for working with court reporters during a deposition

When working with Court Reporters during a deposition it's important to follow a few key tips to help get the most out of your court reporter and your time.

Before the deposition
First, make sure that the deposition is scheduled in advance and that if it is canceled contact the court reporter as soon as possible. Also, during the scheduling process get enough information as possible and relay it to your court reporter. They need just as much information as a lawyer including the deponents, case caption, names, subject matter, etc.

During The Deposition
During the deposition your court reporter will need your business card, names of everyone present, and at least 15 to 30 minutes to set up. Also, make sure the court reporter is sitting close to the desponent so that she can clear hear what he or she has to say. Lastly, make sure all devices are cut off so that nothing will interfere with the court reporter's equipment.

Attorneys looking for court reporters shouldn't don't settle for less! For court reporters, plus a WHOLE lot more, visit www.CourtReporterNet.com. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Court Reporters and Deposition Services

Although most people believe that court reporters spend all their time in a court room, the bulk of their professional activity is much more likely to take place in a conference room at a law firm. That’s because deposition services, and not in-trial proceedings is the leading reason why court reporters are in such constant demand.

How a Court Reporter aids in a Deposition

· By providing a written record of testimony. Every deposition is valuable to the advance of that given court case, and since witnesses cannot be brought in again and again to repeat what they have said, the written record created by the court reporter must speak for them.

· By preparing a record to be used in court. If the witness being deposed is unable to appear in court, the transcript created by the court reporter will be used instead. These documents are also use to corroborate testimony during a trial. Say for example a witness is brought before the judge. They make statements that differ from those given during the deposition. Counsel is able to point out the discrepancies thanks to the written record.

· To certify any document presented as evidence during a deposition. Many court reporters are also notaries, meaning they can make any deposition-related documentation official in the eyes of the court. This may include evidence, statements and even the transcript of the deposition itself. (NOTE: Ask you court reporting services beforehand if the court reporter they are sending out is currently a notary public.)

Other Deposition-Related Court Reporting Services

One of the fastest growing legal services is Videography, and it comes into play often with depositions. More and more attorneys are choosing to videotape their depositions for the record, or use later in court. Sensing a shift in demand, court reporting services have brought in expert video camera operators to shoot and edit these depositions.

Translation and interpreter services are also offered by many court reporting services and can provide benefits for those who need to depose individuals who may not speak English as their first language (or at all). The same accuracy and speed is required of bi-lingual court reports as they must not only comprehend the second language being spoken, but create a transcript of it as well.

Millions of depositions take place in the United States each year, and for each one there is likely to be a court reporter present to create a flawless record of what is said. It is just one of the myriad ways that a court reporter provides the backbone of the legal record.

For court reporters, plus a WHOLE lot more, visit www.CourtReporterNet.com. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Technological advances in the court reporting industry

Some lawyers are pleasantly surprised when they realize exactly how much the court reporting industry has changed. Even though stenographs are still used, lots of other technologies have come into existence that can allow a court reporter to provide services above and beyond the call of duty.

Here are some of the latest advancements that could benefit you or firm in making the decision on which court reporter would be right for you:

Laptop Computers
This is the most obvious advancement and it is slowly, but surely, taking the place of the stenograph machine. The laptop computer is allowing court reporters to increase their workload and speed daily.

Video and Transcript Comparison Software
These software options allow a videotaped deposition to be synced and viewed side by side with transcripts. It can even transcribe a court reporter’s words spoken into a mouthpiece.

Interactive Scanning
Documents and photos can not only be scanned, but can be made electronic with clickable links and instant filing. This allows paper to be saved and organization to be a click away.

There are many more technological advances in the field and when looking for a court reporter, this should definitely be examined further.

For court reporters, plus a WHOLE lot more, visit www.CourtReporterNet.com. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Court reporter and lawyer relationships are key to litigation success

The relationship between a lawyer and a court reporter is the key to success in the litigation field for both parties. According to Wayne Cohen, who wrote on the subject in the July-August 2006 Journal For Reporting and Captioning Profession:

"Many more seasoned attorneys still haven't the slightest clue what court reporters actually do. We don't understand how court reporting equipment or software works. We have no idea how court reporters use the key strokes or how the transcripts go from the court reporter's computer to production."

That's why at CourtReporterNet.com we train our court reporters to take that extra step to ensure that clients are happy and comfortable with our court reporters. In order to make that happen, we encourage our court reporters to follow a few guidelines:

1. Always put your best foot forward by arriving to everything on time or early, especially depositions.

2. Try to have conversations on topics other than work every now and then.

3. Be prepared to listen to what everyone is talking about. Asking "How was your day?"or "Did you enjoy lunch?" can go a long way.

4. Also, smiling and being cheerful can help a court reporter stand out from the crowd. Litigation is a very serious matter, but lightening the mood a little can help put everyone at ease before and after a case.

5. Having a great attitude is self explanatory, never has anyone wanted to be around someone who never smiles and always has something wrong.

For a court reporter that can really add value, and for a WHOLE lot more, visit www.CourtReporterNet.com. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

What To Look For In A Court Reporter

Everyday hundreds of legal professionals hire court reporter firms without understanding exactly what they are looking for. A good court reporter is hard to find that’s why it's important to understand what a quality court reporter is. A quality court reporter should be:

Attentive
Outside distractions, interest in the story line, even day to day thoughts can stop a court reporter from hearing proceedings and recording them precisely. An attentive court reporter is ideal because they concentrate on every detail of the legal proceeding without falling prey to inaccurate court reporting.

Prepared
How many times has a great employee fell short because of un-organization? We've heard the story many times in today's courtrooms and unfortunately, a bad court reporter can fall into this category. Organization is key in order for a court reporter to use a stenotype machine, file documents, organize workspaces, and keep careful record of legal proceedings. Without these characteristics legal issues will turn up.

Flexible
From the long hours, to mounds of paper work, canceled proceedings, and moved meetings; flexibility is a key attribute every court reporter should have. This comes into play especially when proceedings continue past the scheduled time.

Established
An established court reporter is a mature court reporter. He or she has experience on the job and knows the importance and severity of her role in today's legal proceedings. Even when the subject matter may past a "normal" level, court reporters should not only keep their bearings but also behave in the most professional way possible.

Punctual
Lastly, and most importantly, court reporters should be punctual because in this business nothing can be overlooked or missed when it comes to people's lives. It's such an important characteristic because courtrooms will refuse to start or continue until the court reporter shows up.

Court reporting services should offer you a court reporter with combination of all these characteristics and more. For court reporters, plus a WHOLE lot more, visit www.CourtReporterNet.com. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

How Smaller Law Firms Should Use Court Reporting Services

It’s one thing for big, hundred-attorney law firms to keep a court reporting firm on their speed dial and give them a ring any time they need a reporter to handle a deposition or court case. But smaller firms need to be a bit more judicious about how they spend their money – especially in this troubled economy.



The following represents some helpful tips on how smaller law firms can best utilize court reporting services and help their businesses run more smoothly as a result:

Document indexing.
Sorting and indexing documents can significantly tax your resources. Using a court reporting service to not only transcribe depositions but also index and organize them by key terms and phrases can really be a time/money saver.

Video and Audio Transcriptions.
Having a paralegal perform video and audio transcriptions can take them away from client projects where they can be billed out at a much higher rate. Use a court reporting service to supply people to turn the spoken word into written documentation.

Translation Services. It would be nice to expand your target client demographic by offering more bilingual services, but chances are you don’t have the resources to hire someone full time who speaks multiple languages. Why not bring in expert translators and interpreters on an as-needed basis to perform these duties? You will generate more revenue while not raising your overhead too significantly.

Overall, court reporting services offer smaller firm a chance to offer more services without having to hire full time employees. Like general temp services, court reporters are an efficient way to get just the jobs you need done – without staff sitting around and “eating money” for the rest of the year.

For court reporters, plus a WHOLE lot more, visit www.CourtReporterNet.com. CourtReporterNet.com is the one-stop source for all your Court Reporting, videography and Transcription needs. Powered by innovative technologies, and a professional customer support staff, CourtReporterNet.com is sure to meet your complete satisfaction. The court reporters of CourtReporterNet.com are currently available in New York, California, Florida, Chicago and other areas throughout the United States.

Economic cutbacks threaten Florida court reporters

Like every part of the country, Florida has been hit hard by recent economic struggles. Sweeping cutbacks are going on in private businesses and now the public sector as well. These cuts may finally be reaching an area once thought of as untouchable, Florida court reporters.

Two significant events have touched off the layoffs: government cutbacks affecting all sectors of state and federal judiciary systems, and the advent of inexpensive digital recording devices used to replace the human reporter element.While burning DVDs of court proceedings may work well enough, many in the field still believe that a human court reporter is the best way to go. For one thing, if someone says something unintelligible during a trial or hearing, only a human being can ask them to repeat it for the permanent record.

The Florida court reporter is by no means going the way of the Dodo however. There will always be enough depositions and arbitration hearings held in private law offices to keep these highly skilled professionals busy, especially given the litigious nature of the state of Florida.Yet the laying-off of the courts official reporters in several counties may be ushering in technology and ushering out an era as old as the court system itself.

To find a top Florida Court Reporter in your area visit http://www.courtreporternet.com/. This valuable site can help you quickly locate an outstanding reporter even on short notice.