Qualities to Expect in a Court Reporter
You probably have high expectations when hiring a court reporting firm. After all, court reporters play a vital role in your legal case. While much of what they do happens behind the scenes, you will quickly realize how much you count on them during and after a deposition, trial, or hearing. Here are the qualities that reveal you have found a reputable court reporter for the job.
Professionalism
The first sign of a professional court reporter is the ability to arrive on time. Legal proceedings can’t begin until the reporter is ready to start transcribing, and law firms can’t bill for lost time, so punctuality is among the most important virtues to seek in a court reporter.
Courtesy is another telling characteristic of professionalism. Most court reporters are so polite that you rarely hear them during a court proceeding. They take their job very seriously, focusing on the task of documenting every spoken word during a trial or deposition with the utmost precision.
Confidentiality
A significant percentage of the information presented to a court reporter is confidential and cannot be divulged to anyone outside the case. Court reporters are aware of their obligation to secrecy, knowing that a breach of confidentiality could spell disaster for their court reporting career. This is why you can trust a reputable stenographer to maintain the highest level of integrity concerning the information that has been entrusted to them.
Impartiality
The attorneys and paralegals on both sides of the case are entitled to their biases, and no one expects them to maintain a neutral position. However, the same does not hold true for court reporters.
These professionals are trained to avoid expressing their opinion on a witness’s testimony and maintain complete impartiality during your legal case. This is an important part of knowing you can count on the official transcript, with no insertions or omissions that could affect the record.
Speed & Accuracy
In addition to maintaining an unbiased position, the key to a court reporter’s success is the ability to transcribe the spoken word with incredible speed and accuracy. To become a certified court reporter, an applicant must transcribe at a rate of 200 words per minute while maintaining an accuracy of 97.5 percent. This weeds out anyone who has not mastered the steno machine, allowing you to set your standards high when hiring a stenographer.
Quality Transcripts
Transcripts are the key to safeguarding the legal process. They serve as the official record of what was said during a deposition or trial. Working with an experienced court reporter ensures you get what you paid for—a high-quality transcript free of errors and in the standardized formatting guidelines of the profession.
At Talty Court Reporters, we utilize the latest technology to deliver the very best results in your legal case. Turn to us for top-quality court reporting and transcribing services, video and audio conferencing, remote depositions, and much more. For additional information about our services, or to request a cost estimate, please contact us today.