Choosing the Best Court Reporting Service

If your organization will soon be facing a court trial, the strength of your case will initially be predicated on the quality of witness depositions. From workplace injury lawsuits to breach of contract cases, organizations that hope to succeed in the courtroom must carefully decide whom they hire as a court reporter. While the best court reporters can elicit depositions that are clear, fluid and concise, court reports that lack professionalism or the proper training can produce depositions where witness' answers are obscure, prejudiced or long winded. To avoid these types of depositions, most organizations search for court reporting services that hand picks its reporters according to stringent criteria. As you search for best court reporting service, there are four particular areas that you should focus on: technology, reporter selection process and professionalism.

Technology

Because the legal profession is one of the oldest professions in the world, we often take an antiquated view of what constitutes the ideal legal professional, focusing on an individual's "talent" instead of how well he or she transmutes that talent into today's technological mediums. In terms of court reporting, there are two basic technological services that you should look for in a court reporter: interactive real-time reporting and wireless Internet access. Real-time reporting allows company officials to follow a case as it plays out in real time, making it possible to discuss the case without those who birmingham court reporting are most familiar with it "catching up" those who are not. Internet access to deposition records is a crucial time saving tool as well. Instead of handling unwieldy transcripts, officials can quickly review depositions from any Internet terminal.

Reporter Selection Process

There are numerous factors that separate impeccable reporters from mediocre reporters, including: experience, level of training and personal performance. The best court reporting agencies offer only experienced reporters. While new reporters may be as talented as experienced ones, their talent is difficult to judge in the absence of a longer work history. In addition to experience, the best court reporters also possess training that allows them to meet the needs of today's court proceedings, including: expedited delivery, interactive real-time reporting and video/text synchronization. When a reporter possesses the right birmingham court reporting degree of experience and training, his or her value is ultimately determined by personal performance. Impeccable court reporting agencies only hire reporters that display measurable success, despite their level of experience and training.

Professionalism

Because a deposition could easily birmingham court reporting go from being a comfortable interview to a face off between court reporter and witness, it's essential for court reporters to possess a degree of professionalism that allows them to remain impartial during depositions. A professional reporter will understand how to record a witness's emotions and non-verbal behaviors and refrain from interrupting the witness, while less than professional reporters have been known to interrupt and badger a witness, which can jeopardize the clarity of a witness' responses and their general attitude toward the deposition process. When evaluating reporters on their professionalism, the best reporting services look closely at a reporter's personal disposition birmingham court reporting and do not hire reporters that appear curt, impatient, prejudiced, etc.