Court Reporters: One of the Most Important Jobs in the Courtroom

When you think about the scene of a courtroom, you probably imagine the judge, the lawyers, the plaintiff, the defendant, the jury, and maybe even the bailiff. But you probably leave out the person who has arguably the most important job the room: the court reporter.

Sitting at a small desk and perched in front of a keyboard, a court reporter moves her hands effortlessly but fast, accurately, and with purpose. But do you know what the job entails?

What a Court Reporter Does

You may think you have an idea of the responsibilities of a court reporter, but you may not know just how important her work is.

• Guardians of the record. Court reporters are known as the “guardians of the record” because they capture the words of everyone who speaks in the room. They then prepare verbatim transcripts of the proceedings, which can be used by both parties and the judge in the future. In other words, court reporters safeguard the legal process.
• Court reporting is the key in some cases. When litigants want to appeal their verdicts, it is the transcripts that often make or break their cases. The transcript provides an accurate portrayal of courtroom events, which a defendant or plaintiff can use if they allege they didn’t receive a fair trial, or have other issues they believe deserve an appeal.

Let the Casamo & Associates Team Work for You

You can’t trust just anyone to provide you with accurate transcripts that are prepared with speed and professionalism. The court reporting team of Casamo & Associates, however, can give you the high-quality work that you can rely on.

Our reporters have excellent listening, grammar, and punctuation skills. The reporters who are assigned to work exclusively in the court room possess expert knowledge of legal terminology and criminal and appellate procedures. Many are active members of the National Court Reporter Association, and all are able to thrive in the hectic legal field that is unique to the Washington area.

Contact us today to learn about how our services can help you.

Why Good Customer Service Is Key to a Court Reporting Company’s Success

Choosing a service provider based on its customer service may seem like a Catch-22. After all, most people don’t discover how good (or bad) a company’s customer service is until they need it, so a promise of good service may imply a long history of fielding customer complaints.

However, customer service is one of the most common reasons given for hiring—and firing—a business. With all other options being equal, customers will choose to do business with a company that hears their concerns and does as much as it can to make them satisfied. It doesn’t matter what the customer’s complaint originally was; with good customer service, the complaint becomes part of the customer’s positive impression.

Check Your Court Reporting Company for These Customer Service Guarantees

Before you hire a court reporting firm for your business, always make sure it has the following options in place to serve you:

• Professional support staff. When you work with a local court reporting agency, you may not have day-and-night access to customer service. However, the flip side to this is that you will typically be greeted by a real person with the authority to make changes when your call is picked up—making it more likely that your problems can be solved immediately.
• A hardworking website. A business’s website should do much more than provide clients with a phone number and list of credentials. A reputable court reporting agency should offer online deposition scheduling, attorney logins, and an integrated document depository. Our online scheduler allows attorneys to save time by making special court reporter requests, book our conference room, or schedule an interpreter—and all requests are confirmed by phone within the hour.
• One-stop shopping. Hiring multiple vendors for each of your different deposition services is often time-consuming, confusing, and costly. This is why you should consider a court reporting firm that can handle as many different aspects of your deposition as possible, from the location and reporter to the integrated electronic systems necessary for phone and video testimony.

Want to find out what Casamo & Associates can do for you? Visit our online scheduling page to explore your options.

It just isn’t working anymore. After the last failed attempt, you realized it wasn’t going to get any better: it’s time to break up with your court reporting company.

It may seem silly, but it does feel like a bad relationship. You’ve been given the brush off, made to feel unimportant, and at times, outright lied to about when you will receive your transcripts. You know you need to change companies, but you don’t want to make the same mistakes you did before. But with so many options, how can you know which one will be right for you?

Three Things to Consider When Choosing a New Court Reporting Service

You’ve got the basics down: you need a company that is staffed with certified court reporters who are professional and punctual, and who deliver transcripts in a timely manner. Since so many agencies offer these services, you may want to consider the following factors to help you narrow down your choices:

• Reputation. When most people want to try something new, the first thing they do is ask for recommendations—and the negative reviews can be just as helpful as the positive. This applies to court reporting services as well. You can perform a simple Google search to check D.C. court reporter recommendations, as well as ask your fellow attorneys which companies they trust (or stay away from).
• Location. Merely having an office or reporter in your area is not enough; the company should also be able to provide service within a reasonable distance from its location. If you agree to take a deposition away from your office, will your agency offer court reporters who can travel? If you lose your deposition space, can the court reporting agency offer you a camera-ready location and onsite IT troubleshooting?
• Availability. A reputable court reporting company should be just as willing to take your call when you are upset as they are when you are looking to hire. The most important factor that differentiates a good company from a bad one is customer service. When you call with a question, you should be connected to a real, live person who friendly, apologetic, and knowledgeable.

At Casamo & Associates, we know how difficult it is to commit to a new provider. That’s why we encourage all new clients to discuss our services to find out if we are right for you. Call us today at (877) 837-0077 or fill out our contact form and we will be happy to answer your questions.

Lost Transcripts Among the Major Problems of Freelance Court Reporters

After over a decade of taking depositions and appearing in front of a judge, you have mixed feelings when it comes to hiring freelance court reporters. Basically, it’s a hit or miss commitment: some are punctual, accurate, and professional, while others have been the bane of your existence. You’ve kept a list of the good ones, but many have moved on or can command so high a salary that you’re willing to try new contenders (usually with later regrets).

Lack of Oversight Allows Court Reporter Problems to Continue

Unfortunately, your list of reputable freelance reporters may be the only way to avoid damaging your case’s transcript. Many attorneys have complained about the lack of accountability for freelancers, making constant phone calls to reporters who won’t pick up—or begging a court for more time if a court reporter is taking too long to transcribe.

Common Complaints About Hiring Freelance Court Reporters Include:

• Mobile transcripts. While a court reporter is responsible for recording what happens under oath, freelancers will usually take their work home. A court reporter may take the court proceedings home, to an office, or to any other location for transcription, making it more likely that errors will occur.
• Lost records. Not only do freelance court reporters take their work home from the courtroom, they also keep their own records for as long (or as little) as they want. In one case, a transcript was lost forever because the paper copy was destroyed in a tornado at the court reporter’s house.
• Freelance fees. Freelance reporters can literally set their own fees when deciding how much to charge to produce a transcript. Even court reporters employed by the government may be paid additional income on top of their regular salary for their transcription work. A good transcript may be worth the price—especially considering how much time it tales to transcribe, proof, and assemble case documents—but many sub-par reporters will charge solely for their time without backing up the quality of their work.
• Poor professional skills. Attorneys may forgive human error, but it’s a different story when a court reporter cannot (or will not) perform an adequate standard of work. Freelancers may feel less pressure to produce transcripts on time, have no coworkers to hand off work to if they become sick or suffer personal problems, or may just procrastinate to the point of attorney frustration (and potential contempt of court).

Don’t Take a Chance: Call Casamo Today

When your client’s case and professional reputation on the line, you can’t afford to roll the dice when it comes to choosing a court reporter. At Casamo & Associates, our on-staff court reporters have access to the most recent captioning and stenographic technology, and all hold certificates as Certified Court Reporters—and since we offer a five-year digital archive of all of our recorded depositions and written documents, you will never have trouble locating vital trial information. Click the link on this page to request a Virginia and D.C. area reporter using our Online Scheduler.