(Newswire.net — May 19, 2018) — The rise of professional court reporters and court reporting firms has definitely made it easier for everyone to find a stenographer within their locality. Just like every smart client, you probably start your search for a reliable court reporting service on Google. That is actually quite a smart way to begin. Searching for court reporting and legal support services will give you a list of the leading firms in your area, but do not forget that there is a best in that list and that is the one you need to hire.
The score of new services and agencies make it difficult for people to find the one best suited for their highly personalized needs. Court reporters do not just transcribe court proceedings verbatim; it is also their responsibility to help out people, who are hard of hearing in different legal settings. Therefore, you need to look for a team of experienced and trained stenographers, who can meet all your requirements today and in the future. It makes more sense to stick to one firm, who knows the necessities of your company inside and out. After all, why should you take a cab every day to work, if you can get private transport at a lesser cost?
What are the few defining traits of a good and reliable court reporting service?
Here are a few things you need to find out about your court reporting company before your court proceedings begin.
What is their market reputation?
The court reporting service you pick should have an uninterrupted history of legal service. A professionally designed website, complete with a company portfolio, client reviews, and contact page speaks oodles about the company. The kind of service you choose for your court reporting needs can help your case by providing unique services and high-quality work.
What do you know about their staff?
There are probably hundreds of legal services and courtroom reporters in your state or locality. Irrespective of the size and cost of the agency you pick, they should be able to provide you personalized services. The ideal team includes multiple professionally trained and certified court reporters, who have a vast experience in handling cases similar to yours. The best court reporter service in your locality might not be an international service or even a national agency, but their service profile will say a lot about the professional attitude on the field.
Do they provide quality reporters in court?
A few agencies may have renowned court reporters on their payroll or their website, but they send interns on the field for cost-cutting. Is your agency one of them? Find out all about the quality of reporters they send to the courts before you hire them. You can directly check with the previous clients or check their reviews on local directories. In case, you do not find much about their performance, check if the reporter you have chosen has a proficiency level of at least 200 words per minute with an accuracy level of 96%. This is a standard requirement for qualifying any NCRA or equivalent word-to-text transcription certification test.
Do you get the transcripts?
All the better court reporting agencies provide a copy of their client’s case transcripts in a timely fashion. There are certain state requirements that these transcripts should meet. The leading firms ensure that you get these qualified verbatim or real-time transcripts on time, irrespective of your setting. This is true for all kinds of transcripts including the voice recordings and video recordings some of the court sessions demand.
Do they provide round the clock support?
Sometimes, all people in need of legal support need is someone to hear their concerns. Therefore, the court recording firms that have an online presence are currently equipping themselves with online (personal) chats and chat-bots. The court reporter and legal support agency you pick should have an online messaging service or at least a client support chat that can convey your concerns 24/7 to the agency authorities. Whether it is a postponed hearing or an emergency correction of the transcription, you should be able to communicate with the team you are working with instantly.
What are the few basic amenities should your court reporting service offer?
Here is what your court reporter firm should be able to offer in place of local services.
On-site and on-demand court reporting services
If you have done this before, you know that it is not easy to find a court reporting agency that is ready to cover all grounds. Court reporting is not an easy job either. That is why the quality of service each agency offers also varies considerably. Several of them even outsource their responsibilities to novice reporters and interns. In case that is a possibility, you need to ensure that they are all certified court reporters. Your chosen agency should be able to provide efficient stenos even at the last minute request.
All in one court services
Court reporting is just one aspect of the support for attorneys and corporations. The ideal team should be able to cover your videography, interpreter, video conferencing, voice transcription, trial consultation and personal assistance requirements. Attorneys and legal firms often benefit from having a professional conference room at their disposal at the last minute. This helps them create a powerful impact on their clients and potential clients. An excellent court reporting company should even meet your smallest copying and scanning needs. In short, you should have everything you need within your reach. Not having to run around to gather various obvious yet trivial resources can take up a client’s precious time and a competent court reporting service understands that.
Years’ worth of experience
Some of the best and most reputed courtroom reporting agencies have at least a decade of experience behind them. The biggest evidence of a company’s experience and service quality is their testimonial section. You can find the reviews and ratings on several business directories through Google search as well. Do not just look at the names on the reporter’s list. Go through their area of expertise as well. Legal matters can vary from fairly mundane to absolutely bizarre. Check the company’s field of experience. With what kind of cases do they deal in general? Do they have more number of civil cases? Do they deal with criminal justice lawyers more frequently? Are they an expert in family law? Finding the correct court reporter can carry you from the brink of losing a case to the epitome of success. You can even look at the recommendations from your fellow attorneys. Although it is a cut-throat competition between law firms and private attorneys, observing the choice of the leading law practitioners in the field may be able to guide you towards the right decision.
A few questions to help you find the best team of court reporters
This might seem like a daunting task for a person fresh out of law college or for a layman looking for a transcript expert for legal matters, so here are a few questions you can ask about the firm of your choice.
- Is the court reporter experienced and professional?
- Is he or she on time on the first day?
- Is the steno operator amiable or always too preoccupied?
- Is the transcriber accommodating or does he/she only follow direct orders from their company only?
- Is the professional polite while asking for additional information and spellings at the end of a deposition?
- Is he or she confident through the whole process of oath taking and subsequent clarifications?
- Does the court reporter hold accreditations and certifications from nationally recognized or state recognized institutes or associations like NCRA?
- Does the reporter exude confidence during each readback?
- How accurate is their transcription process? How fast are they?
- What is the quality of the transcript they provide and how detailed is it?
Answering the previous questions with a simple “yes” or “no” can help you understand if you are working with the correct people.
Looking back at the selection process
Choosing a local firm obviously offers some form of mental peace, but is it really necessary? Let us take a step back and think about it. An attorney often requires several formats of transcription along with a wide selection of conference rooms or offices, flexible work timings and an experienced team of reputed court reporters. As long as you have a reliable firm to work with, you should be satisfied. Rarely does anyone have the time for a post-work stop by at their local court reporter’s office to say “Hi” and inquire about the deposition? As long as you have complete control over your case and transcription over the web, it should not be necessary for you to choose a local agency only. The location is not as important as most new clients deem it to be. Always choose a firm by their reputation, work history, and reporter profiles.