At some time, you could need the assistance of a court reporter. Sometimes it may be difficult and time-consuming to locate a court reporter who is a good fit for your needs. However, the transcript your court reporter writes up is crucial for you and your clients. Therefore, it is crucial to choose a deposition, hearing, or trial reporter that can be relied upon to provide accurate and reliable transcripts. The following questions may be instructive to you as you go along:
In what ways are your court reporters qualified to serve as experts?
It varies from state to state whether or not prospective court reporters must first complete a state certification exam. The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) also provides certification in this area. In Hawaii, certification is issued by the State Board of Certified Shorthand Reporters. The Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification is a national certification offered by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA). Court reporters may get this certification if they so want. The RPR certification requires a candidate to pass an examination with a score of 95% or above in all four sections. You need to have at least your court reporters Denver certification before you can sit for the Hawaii certification exam. You can trust your court reporter has the skills and expertise to do their job properly if they adhere to both of these standards of accountability.
Approximately how long till I get my transcript?
If you use a court reporting service, you will likely be given a standard response time. It is within this time frame that you may expect to get the finalized transcript and the necessary documentation. Don’t wait for surprises; instead, make sure you ask up front what the expected turnaround time will be. Please submit your request as soon as possible if you want urgent assistance. As a result, you may be certain that the accelerated order costs and timelines will be within your comfort zone. Not all court reporters have the resources to swiftly turn around a transcript once a proceeding has concluded. Since time is of the essence in an expedited case, giving the court reporting firm plenty of notice in advance will allow them to get the best available court reporter.
Give me a price range, please.
A reliable court reporting provider should be able to provide you with a quote for their court reporting and transcript services. Knowing exactly what is and isn’t covered by your tariff is crucial. If you want a precise estimate, it helps to include certain details when you ask for a quotation. Any and all information pertinent to the proceeding should be included here, such as the nature of the proceeding (deposition, hearing, transcription, etc.), its expected length, any rush turnaround, realtime or rough draught requests, whether or not it will be videotaped, the nature of the witness, his or her location, and so on. Do not be shy about asking about the upfront fees. One further thing to think about is the price tag attached to using each firm’s service offerings.
Wondering whether you offered conference space for rent?
Taking a deposition is not always possible online; sometimes you need a real location. Court reporting firms provide this service and may also have meeting space available for rent that you may use. The court reporting firm you employ should be contacted for details on meeting space and other amenities.
