Month: May 2018

Court Reporter’s bag of tricks

May 22, 2018

In the court reporting field anything – anything – can happen. Any seasoned court reporter could regale you with deposition or courtroom stories that would make your head spin. If a court reporter attempted to write a movie script using real-life examples, they’d probably be accused of making them up.

Like their Hollywood counterparts, court reporters believe in the saying “The show must go on,” so they come to depositions prepared to deal with a variety of situations.

Just what do they carry in their bag of tricks? Here’s a list we’ve compiled from our court reporters, which may vary depending on which method they use to capture the record.

  • Steno machine and tripod (or stenomask and digital recording equipment)

  • Laptop with CAT software

  • Realtime delivery equipment (router, cables)

  • iPads or other tablets for clients to view realtime

  • Microphones

  • Web cameras

  • Extension cords and power strips

  • Chargers and adapters (for phones, laptops, and more)

  • USB and HDMI cables

  • USB hub

  • SD cards and thumb drives

  • Exhibit stickers

  • Manila folders

  • Post-it notes

  • Batteries

  • Energy bar/Nuts/Chocolate

  • Gum/breath mints

  • Water

  • Hand sanitizer, Clorox wipes

  • WiFi hotspot or MiFi card

  • Ethernet cable

  • Gaffer’s tape (for taping down cords)

  • Cell phone (for a calendar or backup recording app)

  • Cough drops or Vitamin C drops

  • Ibuprofen

  • Paper clip, binder clips

  • Notepads

  • Small stapler, staple remover

  • Pens and Sharpies in varying colors

We’ve also heard of reporters who carry a first aid kit with them after a witness got a gushing paper cut during a deposition.  Some of the items might be a little surprising, but they’ve all been necessary at one point or another. Just ask the court reporter at your next deposition!

Schedule your next deposition with Legal Media Experts today, using our easy online form or calling 800-446-1387

Whose Reporter Is This Anyway

May 16, 2018

In business, customer service is paramount. The person who pays is the person whose opinion and wants matter. “The customer is always right” is the credo of successful companies.


In court reporting, however, it’s different. Though one firm books the court reporter for a deposition or hearing, the court reporter’s loyalties don’t lie with that firm or party. All court reporters – whether official or freelance, whether stenotype or stenomask or electronic – are impartial guardians of the record and officers of the court.


Ethical standards vary by jurisdiction and licensing authority, but we’ve listed below a set of common standards:


  1. Be fair and impartial toward each participant in all aspects of reported proceedings and always offer to provide comparable services to all parties in a proceeding.

  2. Be alert to situations that are conflicts of interest or that may give the appearance of a conflict of interest. If a conflict or a potential conflict arises, the court reporter shall disclose that conflict or potential conflict.

  3. Guard against not only impropriety, but the appearance of impropriety.

  4. Preserve the confidentiality and ensure the security of information, oral or written, entrusted to the court reporter by any of the parties in a proceeding.

  5. Be truthful and accurate when making public statements or when advertising the court reporter’s qualifications or the services provided.

  6. Determine fees independently from other firms.

  7. Refrain from giving, directly or indirectly, any gift or anything of value to attorneys or their staff, other clients or their staff, or any persons or entities associated with any litigation.


The common thread is that a court reporter/firm is required to treat each side equally and produce a true, accurate, and complete transcript of proceedings.


Sometimes court reporters are put in an awkward position by an attorney who thinks the reporter is “their” reporter. They might ask for their transcript to be delivered on an expedited basis and for the reporter to not let the other side know that it had been expedited. They might ask for a discount on services if they book the firm to take all of the depositions in a case. On their face those requests don’t seem horribly wrong, but give the appearance of favoritism.


On rare occasions, attorneys have asked court reporters to attempt to listen to conversations between opposing counsel and the witness during breaks. That’s obviously an extreme example, and the vast majority of attorneys would never ask a reporter to do such a thing. But if a reporter or firm has given the attorney small favors in the past – such as the type mentioned in the preceding paragraph – it sets a precedent where bigger “favors” will be requested.

At Legal Media Experts we take our ethical responsibilities very seriously, remembering that while the attorneys are our customers, we are officers of the court and impartial guardians of the record.

Technology is Solving the Court Reporter Shortage

May 2, 2018


With each leap forward in technology,  there are two extremes in reaction – the early adopter and the stubborn resistor. We all know someone who still has a flip phone, right? That is, if they even have a mobile phone at all.


In the field of court reporting,  there are few early adopters for a couple of reasons. Fear of being replaced by a new technology keeps some people from even looking into the benefits it might bring. And if there is a flaw in the new technology, the early adopters are the ones who have to deal with the ramifications.


Court reporting is overrepresented at the other end of the spectrum, too, with firms and reporters who stubbornly, and sometimes irrationally, resist researching or implementing new technology.


At Legal Media Experts, we’ve always been cautious early adopters. We seek out new technologies that can help us streamline the transcript production process or add value for our clients, but only implement them company-wide after successful trials and a process of “working out the kinks.”


Because of this mindset, we have a full staff of qualified reporters despite a shortage of stenographic court reporters. Instead of clinging to traditional methods of capturing the record, we led the way in implementing electronic reporting, developing training modules and procedures to ensure that each transcript our firm produces meets our standards – regardless of the court reporter’s method.


Electronic reporting won’t reduce court reporting to a profession where one simply hits the “record” button, as some had feared. A complete, accurate transcript still needs to be prepared, and a qualified, professional reporter is still a necessary part of deposition proceedings. The technology, however, severely decreases the time it takes a new court reporter to be “deposition ready,” thereby alleviating a massive shortage of qualified, professional reporters.

We are proud to be at the forefront of implementing new technologies and perfecting their use in the court reporting industry. To schedule a deposition with Legal Media Experts, click here or call 800-446-1387